A Forbidden Love
by TheCaptainandThePostulant
Summary: Maria, the lonely daughter of Werner Rainer, meets Georg von Trapp, Naval Hero and survivor of WW1 at a party that her father has thrown. When the two of them meet it is love at first sight and their feelings for one another soon blossom into romance. However, Maria's father is determined to keep them apart and to prevent them from being together. Will he succeed? Please review! x
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Okay, so after quite some time I have decided to re-upload and continue this fic! I have re-written it because I feel I am a bit of a better author now and I hope that you all enjoy! x**

* * *

Maria was unable to suppress the sigh that left her when she was standing in the corner of the decorated hall with a glass of port in her hand one evening and she watched her father's guests waltz around the room to the soft music that the string quarter were playing, her heart aching as she could see the love on the faces of each couple while they danced to the music and she knew that she was never going to know how it felt to have a man look at her with such adoration in his eyes.

She had had numerous suitors over the last couple of months and yet she had never been able to stand a single one of them. She had never been allowed to make her own choices; her father was the one who found men - who were sometimes twice her age - for her to court and it was out of the question for her to ever refuse. Every man that she had been forced to start a relationship with had either been cold or unfeeling towards her; had only courted her so that they had had a woman to show off at parties - and now that she wasn't a child anymore, she longed to fall in love with a gentleman. A real man.

She just wanted a man who would love her, be gentle with her and treat her with the respect that she knew she was entitled to. Was that too much to ask?

'And what is such a charming little Fraulein like yourself doing stood alone in the corner at a party?' She glanced up from the glass of port in her hand to see a young man with fair hair standing in front of her and she had to fight against the urge to roll her eyes as she knew that her father had sent him over to attempt to win her over. 'You can't wear a dress like that and not show it off. How about we have a dance together, hmm?'

'I won't if you'll forgive me, I'm...uhm...feeling rather tired this evening and I think I would like to just stand and watch.' She told him as she leaned back against the wall, her heart against her ribs when the older man took a step closer to her and rested his hand on her hip through her dress. 'Please take your hand off of me, Sir, or I will have to inform my father. You do not have the right to put a hand on me without my permission.'

'I will,' He growled, 'when you admit you want to dance.'

'But...but I _don't _want to dance.' She reminded him as she pressed one hand against his chest and tried to push him off of her, her heart pounding harder when he trapped her against the wall.

He looked at her in silence for a moment. 'You are so beautiful.' He told her before he lowered his gaze to her lips and brought it back to hers again, Maria's eyes widening when he took her face in his hands and leaned in towards her before beginning to steal a languid kiss from her. It was just moments before he was torn off of her via the collar of his jacket and brought to face an immaculately dressed Naval Captain who's eyes were almost black with anger. Excuse me,' The fair-haired man hisses while scowling at him, 'but I believe you're interrupting something.'

'And I believe,' The Captain snarled, 'you piece of filth, that this young woman has told you to leave her in peace. You asked her to dance; she refused, now back off and take your wounded pride with you.'

'I don't think I can do that.' The younger man tutted in response before turning his head in the direction of Maria who appeared to still be in shock. 'She's far too enchanting.'

The Captain gave him a shake via the lapels of his jacket to gain his attention again, the anger still evident in his eyes as he edged his face closer to his. 'If I see you anywhere near her again for the rest of the evening; if I see you so much as looking in her direction, I will make you regret it. I will drag you through this hall - in front of all of these people - and throw you out of those doors before you've even had the time to finish the rest of your port, so you'll back off and leave her be if you know what's good for you.' The fair-haired man looked at him in silence for a couple of seconds before shoving him off, his lips curving up into a smirk when he gave Maria a wink before straightening his jacket and walking over to the drinks table.

'Are you okay?' The feeling of the Captain's hand on her shoulder was what brought Maria out of her thoughts after a time, a soft gasp escaping her as she looked up into his eyes.

'I am now, thanks to you,' She managed to offer him a smile in response, 'but there was no need for you to do that, Sir, I'm used to it now. Men...men are always forcing themselves on me.'

The Captain sighed. 'You shouldn't have to be used to being treated like that. This is _your_ home and you should be able to stand wherever you like without wondering when the next man is going to approach you. These people might be your father's guests, but when they are under this roof they should treat you with the same respect that they do him. What that man just did to you was despicable.' Maria lowered her gaze to his chest when she felt a single tear scroll down her cheek, her heart fluttering within her chest again when she felt the Captain hook his finger underneath her chin and lift her head until he was able to look into her eyes again.

As she looked into his eyes she didn't feel nervous as she had done with the man before him. His touch was tender whereas the other man's touch had been demanding. She soon found herself becoming lost in his eyes as he used his thumb to wipe the tear off of her skin. No man had ever been so gentle with her - not even her own father. 'I...I'm sorry.' She whispered before reaching up to take hold of his wrist and remove his hand from her cheek once he had lingered for longer than was considered appropriate, a sigh escaping her as she ran her thumb across his knuckles before letting go of his hand. 'This war has been dreadful and you've been through hell and back for the last four years. This party was thrown to lift your spirits, but instead of making the most of it you're standing here with me whilst I complain. Perhaps I _am_ as inconsiderate as father says.'

She tucked a strand of blonde hair back behind her ear as she averted her gaze from his, sucking on her lower lip when she placed her glass down on the table beside her and wiped underneath her eyes before smiling as she looked up at the Captain again. 'Thank you again for coming to my defence and for putting that horrid man in his place. I really am so grateful...' She cocked her head to one side, silently asking for his name.

'Georg.' He smiled. 'Georg von Trapp.'

'Thank you for coming to my defence, Georg.' A blush bloomed in her cheeks as she clasped her hands in front of herself. 'It's refreshing to know that there are still some decent gentleman who survived the war.'

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. _'She's the most beautiful girl in the room.' _He thought as they looked at one another. 'I couldn't just stand there and do nothing while he did that to you...'

'Maria, Sir.' She giggled. 'Maria Augusta Rainer.'

'A charming name,' He took a step closer to her before giving her the softest of pecks on the cheek, 'for an equally charming young woman.'

The sound of the string quartet starting up again was what caught their attention a short time later, her lips curling up into a smile when she recognised the tune. 'The Laendler...' She sighed. 'Oh, I love the Laendler.'

'Would...would you care to dance?' He asked while proffering his hand to her.

Maria thought for a moment as she looked at his hand, her eyes sparkling when she lifted her gaze back to his. 'There is _nothing_ that I would care to do more.' She told him as she took his hand in hers.

She then allowed him to lead her into the centre of the room where the other dancers were gathering before he bowed and she curtsied, the two of them sharing a smile when they began to dance together. The the two of them it seemed as though everyone else in the room vanished as he span her around and they danced circles around one another; it seemed as though they were the only two people in existence when he drew her close and held one arm behind her back, the other held above her head as time appeared to stand still and their gazes locked. Her chest was pressed flush against his own. She had never been held so intimately before.

Their closeness was delectable.

When she felt him draw her even closer - if that was possible - a few seconds later she sighed in contentment. It was only when she began to study his features that she realised just how gorgeous he was. There were scars from the war, permanent reminders of the nightmare he had lived through, dotted over his face: one just beneath his bottom lip, one beside his eye and a long one down the right side of his face to name a few, but she found him all the more attractive for that. She didn't see his scars as something that he should feel ashamed of; she didn't see them as ugly, she saw them as something that he should be proud of. To her they were like badges of bravery; an everlasting reminder of how brave he had been over the last four years - a permanent reminder of how hard he had fought for their country.

The sound of applause was what brought her back to the present after a time, she and Georg releasing the other's hands before she stepped back from him to make some space between them. 'Well, Captain von Trapp,' She laughed as the guests began to talk among themselves again, 'I must say that you make quite the dance partner.' Georg shook his head as he chuckled before he took her gloved fingers in his hand.

'As do you, Maria.' He smiled before kissing the back of her palm.

She felt the familiar fluttering of her heart start again when he released her hand and met her gaze, her cheeks burning as she rubbed at the side of her neck. 'I think I'm going to step out onto the terrace for a couple of minutes.' She told him. 'It's beginning to get quite warm in here.' After offering him another smile she turned on her heel and walked through the hall, Georg sighing as he watched her walk through the double doors.

She was perfection personified.

* * *

It was a little while later when she was stood out on the terrace as she looked out over the grounds of her father's villa, her hands resting on the balustrade as the breeze swept through her hair like a kind hand. It was at times like this - times when she felt troubled - that she wished her mother was still alive because she would know the exact words to say and guidance to give to help her feel better and make sense of her feelings.

She had known this man for five minutes and yet she was still unable to stop her heart from racing whenever he looked at her. His touch had been so gentle when he had led her through their dance - he had treated her as though she had been made of glass; as though she would shatter if he had been too careless with her, and she had not-so-secretly adored every single moment of it.

As a little girl her mother had read stories about princesses who fell in love with their princes at first sight to her at bedtime. When she had gotten older, she hadn't deemed it to be possible for a person to fall so in love with someone in such a short amount of time, but now she found herself questioning whether or not that had just happened to her. She knew that there was a large age-gap between them; she had turned nineteen a few weeks ago and he must have been in his early thirties at least, but she hadn't cared about that when she had been dancing with him.

Out of all of the men that she had ever danced with, he had treated her with the most respect. All of the other men had always tried to push their luck; had tried to kiss her or had allowed their hands to roam, but he hadn't. She knew - even though she had just met him - that he was a gentleman through and through. She turned in place at the sound of one of the double doors opening, a smile gracing her features as she watched Georg step out onto the terrace and close the door again before walking over to her. 'I need you to trust me, Maria.' He told her, his tone series and his voice quiet as he stopped in front of her and looked into her eyes.

Her brow creased. 'What do you mean? What's happening?'

'That piece of filth won't stop looking at you and I can't bear the thought of him hurting you,' He told her as he took her waist in his hands, 'so I'm going to kiss you to make him back off.'

'Goodness...'

'I'm not going to hurt you or take advantage.' He soothed. 'I'm doing this to keep you safe.'

Maria nodded as her cheeks burned.

He removed one of his hands from her waist and brought it to her face before cupping her cheek in his palm and brushing his thumb against her skin, the hand that was still on her waist drawing her close. He was able to feel her breath tremble against his face when he leaned in, his eyes closing when he captured her lips with his in a soft kiss. He gave her several kisses before she began to return them, her hand coming to rest on his chest as she followed his lead. She allowed him to lace his arms around her waist as the two of them sank into their kiss, a smile appearing on her lips when he held her flush against him and her hands ventured up his chest before she wound her arms around his neck. Georg opened his eyes for just a moment to ensure that the fair-haired twit who had treated Maria like dirt earlier that night had disappeared, satisfied at the sight of him talking to someone on the other side of the hall.

As he drew out his kisses for a few moments longer he noticed just how smooth Maria's lips were; how her body moulded so well against his that she could have been made for him, and he felt himself becoming all the more drawn to her as he cupped the back of her head in one hand. 'Maria.' The sound of her father's voice prompted them to part, Maria turning to her father once she had unwound her arms from around Georg's neck.

Now she was in trouble.

'Yes, father?' She was still rather breathless as she looked at him.

'It's late.' He said. 'I want you to go to bed.'

'But...but it's only just gone eleven.' She pointed out.

'Yes, I'm aware,' He admitted, 'but I've just told you to go to bed and that's that.'

'Yes, father.' She sighed as her face fell before she turned to Georg, rose up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. 'Goodnight, Georg.'

'Goodnight, Maria.' He rested his hand on her lower back which made her smile.

She then began to cross the terrace towards the double doors, her father seizing her wrist before she could go inside. He then offered her his cheek before she rose up onto her tiptoes and kissed it. Once she had gone inside and had crossed the hall in order to go upstairs to her bedroom, her father ventured further out onto the terrace before closing the doors behind him. 'What made you believe that you had the right to come out here and put your hands on my daughter?' Werner asked as he looked at him, Georg's frustration towards him increasing. If he was honest, he had never been all that fond of the man.

'Don't you dare lecture me.' He shook his head. 'At least I treated Maria with respect. I made her feel like the beautiful young woman I know she is, which is more than any of them men you've been setting her up with have done. Do you know how terrified the man you sent to her made her tonight? He was pinning her against the wall and she was in tears when I went over thee and ever since I've been wondering why I had had to be the one to step in. You should have been the one prising that man from her; you should have been the one comforting her afterwards, but you weren't. I've been keeping her safe all night while you've been drinking champagne and smoking and not caring about a thing. She's your_ daughter,_ for crying out loud!'

'I would watch how you speak to me, Captain.' Werner growled. 'I can have you thrown out of this building in seconds.'

Georg scoffed. 'You don't deserve to have a woman like Maria for a daughter. She must be one of the most captivating women that I have ever met - both inside and out. She's humorous, she's full of compassion, she's gentle and she deserves better. If you continue to set her up with men who want one thing and one thing only from her, then all you're going to do is ruin her. She needs a man who loves her and wants to protect her with his whole being; she deserves that. How come I can see what a delightful young woman she is and yet _you_ can't?'

'You don't know her.' Werner told him. 'You don't know a thing about her.'

'I don't have to.' Georg retorted, anger in his own voice. 'Anyone can see how incredible Maria is.'

Werner fell silent for a moment as he glared at him. 'Get out, Captain.'

'With pleasure.' Georg replied before walking over to the double doors.

'And know this.' Werner said before he went inside. 'You and Maria will never see one another again.'

Georg chose not to respond to him, but he couldn't remove the smile from his lips as he walked back into the house because he knew in his heart that he and Maria would see each other again. He would do everything in his power to hold her; to kiss her again. It didn't take him long to leave Werner's and start walking down the drive, his brow creasing when he heard Maria calling his name. 'Up here!' She giggled once he had turned around, Georg looking up before he saw her sitting in one of the windows. 'Has the party ended? Why are you leaving?' He could see the confusion on her face.

'Your father made me leave because I told him how incredible you are.' He rolled his eyes as he called back.

Maria sighed. 'I'm sorry.'

'It was worth it.' He admitted. 'I meant everything I said to him, too.'

She felt her cheeks burn. 'Will I see you again?'

'That depends,' He teased, 'do you think you'll have some free time tomorrow afternoon?'

'I might do.' She smirked. 'What do you have in mind?'

'Just meet me at the tearoom in the town centre at 1:00 and you'll find out.' He replied.

'I'll be counting down the hours.' She reassured him. 'Goodnight, Georg.'

'Goodnight, Maria,' He tipped his hat to her, 'sleep well.'

He then turned on his heel as Maria closed her bedroom window.

Unbeknownst to one another, the same smile spread across both of their face.

* * *

'When are you going to learn to _grow up?'_ Her father barked later that evening.

'I _have _grown up!' She retorted as she stood before him in her nightgown, her hair hanging loose.

'So you think kissing a man you just met out on the terrace is a smart thing to do, do you?' He asked.

'At least _he _didn't shove me up against the nearest wall and force me to kiss him!' She exclaimed. 'I knew that I was allowed to refuse to kiss him if I wanted to, but that's just it,' She smiled to herself. 'I _didn't _want to refuse him. I _wanted_ Georg to kiss me. All night long he made me feel so beautiful; he made me feel so good about myself and I loved it.' She took a step closer to her father as a sigh escaped her. 'Father, I love you, you know I do. I know you think that you're helping me by choosing men for me to court, but you're doing the opposite of that! The men that you choose frighten me and they're far too forward with me. The man you chose tonight held me up against the wall to_ kiss_ me!' Karl folded his arms across his chest. 'When I enter a relationship I want it to be with a man I cherish.'

Her father stood in silence for a time as he looked at her. 'You aren't mature enough to choose your own suitor.' He told her. 'If I allowed you to choose your own suitor, you would choose the first man who was nice to you. It would end in disaster and there is no way that you would be happy with him.'

'Is that what you think of me?' She felt her annoyance rising. 'Do you honestly think I'm _that _shallow?'

'At the moment, yes.' He admitted. 'And I will continue to think that of you until you prove to me that you are not.' He watched as Maria dropped his gaze and fixed her own upon the cream-coloured carpet. 'Now,' He stepped closer to her before kissing her on the forehead, tears sparkling in his daughter's blue eyes when he took her chin upon his index finger and lifted her gaze to his, 'you're tearful because you're tired, so I want you to close those curtains and get some sleep, Maria.'

'When are you going to stop treating me like a child?' She whispered.

'When you stop acting like one.' He told her bluntly. 'Goodnight.'

He then turned on his heel before making his way across the bedroom towards the door, a tear dancing over the curve of Maria's cheek when he closed the door behind him and she walked over to her curtains to close them as he had requested. She didn't know why she had expected him to listen to her when he had entered her room after the guests had left; he hadn't listened to a word she had said ever since her mother had passed away several years earlier. It was like she didn't matter to him.

She had adored him as a child and she knew that she had been one of the most precious things in all the world to him when she had been a little girl, but that had all changed after her mother's death. She knew that – if her mother was still living – her father never would have started setting her up with men. She knew that her mother never would have allowed him to do it and if the idea had so much as crossed her father's mind then her mother would have given him a thick ear. Oh, how she missed her.

Once her curtains were closed and she had turned out the main light so that the only light came from the lamps on the nightstands at either side of her bed, she crossed the room towards her bed before drawing back the covers and climbing in. She then opened the drawer of her nightstand before pulling out a beautiful picture frame, a smile spreading across her lips as she lay down with it and gazed at the woman in the picture. 'I wish you were here.' She whispered as she ran the pad of her thumb along the glass pane. 'You would know what to do.' She then pressed the gentlest of kisses onto her mother's forehead, the glass cool against her lips before she set the picture frame down beside her and allowed her eyes to fall closed as she snuggled down beneath the floral covers.

'_Things will look better in the morning.' _She told herself. _'They have to, right?'_

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading chapter one and I hope you will all review to let me know what you think or just to tell me to quit whilst I'm ahead, hehe :) Please follow also so that - if you enjoyed this chapter - you won't miss out on future updates! Thanks for all of your support, guys! xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Chapter two is here. Please enjoy! x**

* * *

She couldn't remove the smile from her lips when she was sat on the stool at her dressing table late the following morning and her hands were clasped in her lap as Emilia, her maid – who was more like a sister to her than a servant – styled her hair. 'You've been wreathed in smiles ever since I came in here.' Emilia told her when their gazes met through the mirror, Maria giggling as she watched her slip another pin into her fair hair. 'It couldn't have something to do with that dashing Captain I spotted you dancing with at the party last night, could it?'

She watched a blush bloom in her Mistress's cheeks.

'I know he's older than me and I know that I was only with him for a few hours, but he's such a gentleman and whenever our eyes met last night I felt my heart race.' Maria admitted to her as the happiness that she felt was evident in her eyes. 'He spent the entire night ensuring that I was safe from the man who had pushed me up against the wall, and when he noticed that he was watching me, he came to me.' She and Emilia shared a small smile in the mirror.

'He told me that we had to make it seem as though we had fallen for each other in order to keep me safe,' She went on, 'and so he kissed me. I was nervous at the start, but after we had kissed for a few minutes…oh, Emilia, I can't explain to you how…how amazing it all was.'

Emilia offered her another smile before reaching over her shoulder for the pearl necklace on her dressing table. 'Do you suppose you'll be seeing each other again?' She asked when she fastened the clasp of the necklace at the base of Maria's neck, the nineteen-year-old replying with a slight smirk. 'You're not going into town to run errands…are you?' Emilia sighed.

'He asked me to meet him at the tea-room at 1:00.' Maria said. 'I had to make something up, Emilia; father never would have let me leave the house if he knew where I was going. You won't give me away, will you? I need to see Georg again; I – I think that I might have fallen for him.' Oh, it felt so incredible to say those words out loud. 'Please don't tell him, please.'

Emilia rested her hand on her Mistress's shoulder before their gazes met in the mirror. 'I'm not going to breathe a word, I promise. But believe me, if he does anything to hurt you then I won't be held accountable for my actions.' The two of them laughed. 'Now,' Emilia took the slightest step back from her, 'will that be all, Milady?' Maria eased a curl back behind her ear.

'Yes, thank you.' She turned on the stool to face her with a satisfied smile.

Emilia then nodded out of respect before walking over to Maria's bed and picking up the satin nightgown from the foot of it. Once she had folded it over her arm she made her way over to the bedroom door before stopping at the sound of Maria saying her name. 'I'm so thankful for your support; you must let me know if I can do anything for you in return.' She said to her.

'Your kindness is more than enough, Milady.' Emilia replied.

The two of them shared a final smile before the maid left the room and closed the door after her, Maria rising from her stool before she walked over to the mirror. She allowed her head to fall to one side as she took in her appearance and smoothed down the skirt of her dress with her hands, her heart racing as she prayed that Georg would think that she looked rather nice.

She had opted to wear her wine-red chiffon dress, the article of clothing ending just after her knee as she had paired it with some black shoes. She had never wanted the approval of a man more.

When she turned her head in the direction of the clock on her bedroom wall she saw that the time read quarter-to-one.

If she left the house now, she would just make to the tea-room in time and so, with a deep sigh, she took one last look at herself before walking over to her bedroom door and stepping out onto the landing. Her heart sank in her chest when she saw her father standing at the bottom of the stairs when she began to descend them, a huff of annoyance escaping her lips as she knew that he as bound to have a number of questions for her.

She forced herself to smile when she reached his side, however, before rising onto her toes to kiss his cheek.

'You're rather done up for an afternoon of running errands, aren't you?' A furrow formed in between Werner's brows as he looked her up and down, folding his arms across his chest as Maria looked at him.

'I can make an effort if I desire to do so, father, it's not a criminal offence.' She reminded him.

Werner chose not to respond to her, but rolled his eyes in reply. 'When will you be back?'

'I'm not quite sure.' She said. 'I don't know how long it will take to pick up everything I need, but I'm meeting some friends at half-past four. I should imagine that I'll be back between half-past six to seven o'clock.' She could sense that he was beginning to grow suspicious of her.

'Which friends are you seeing?' He asked.

She shrugged in response. 'Just some girls that I met at Baroness Bachman's ball last month.

Werner looked at her in silence for a second before stepping closer to her. 'I don't think you're telling me the truth.' He said. 'I think you're going out to meet up with _Captain von Trapp.'_

'Don't be absurd!' She hissed. 'I don't even know the man, father!'

'You seemed rather cosy together last night!' He retorted. 'You were all over one another!'

She forced herself to calm down. 'I know. It was stupid of me. I never should have permitted him to let him kiss me and I feel so ashamed of myself.' She felt a stab of hurt as she said those words – she had never meant anything less – but she would say anything if it meant that he would back off. 'It was a mistake and I promise that I'll never be so foolish again.' Her father smiled before resting his hand on the back of her head and giving her a kiss on the hairline.

'I'm glad to hear it.' He ran the back of his palm down her cheek.

'May I go now, father?' She raised her brow. 'Ernst is waiting on the drive with the car.'

Werner nodded. 'You may.'

She then walked over to the table that her handbag was resting on, a smile on her lips as she approached the front door. 'Maria.' Her father said before she had had the chance to turn the doorknob, Maria humming when she turned around. 'If you aren't being truthful and I find out, you are going to be in so much trouble.' Tears stung in her eyes while she nodded at him.

She then opened the front door and stepped out onto the drive where Ernst was waiting for her with the motorcar. 'Is everything alright, Milady?' He inquired with concern on his face.

Maria wiped the fallen tears from her cheeks before smiling up at him. 'It will be.' She told him. 'If you could drive me to the jewellers, that would be much appreciated.' Ernst gave her a respectful nod before offering her his hand and helping her into the car, the two of them sharing a smile before he closed the door and climbed into the driver's seat of the motorcar.

After pulling on his cap he started up the engine and started to drive away from the house, Maria's gaze fixed on her father as she could see him watching the car through the window.

Oh, how she prayed he wouldn't find out.

* * *

It was nearing quarter-past one when she made it to the tea-room that she and Georg had agreed to meet at, and there was a brief moment of panic when she entered through the door and was unable to see him.

Her heart sank as she believed that he must have gotten sick of waiting for her to make an appearance, but just as she was about to turn to leave, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and a smile spread across her features when she turned to see Georg standing at a table.

'You look incredible.' He told her once she had walked over to him and he was able to take her fingertips in his hand, their gazes locked as he pressed a soft kiss onto the back of her palm.

'You don't look too bad yourself.' She smirked before going up onto her tiptoes in order to plant a kiss on his cheek. He gestured for her to sit down after a time, which she did, before he did the same and smiled over at her as he gazed into her eyes.

'I would have gotten here on time, but father wouldn't stop asking questions and then when I got into town I was stopped by a girl from school who just _had _to tell me all about her new fiance. I thought you'd given up on me.' She felt her heart skip a beat when Georg reached out to smooth the backs of his fingers across her cheek.

'I would never give up on you.' He sighed as he drew back his hand and saw the blush that had risen in Maria's cheeks. 'I would have sat and waited here for you for hours if I had had to, I mean that. I know that we haven't known each other for long; I know that last night was our first meeting, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. Your laugh; your voice, the way that you fitted so perfectly in my arms when I kissed you last night…I enjoyed every second we spent together.'

Maria felt her heart start to race within her chest as she played with her fingers beneath the table. Was he saying that he felt there was something between them too? Was he saying that he had fallen for her?

She glanced down at her lap for a moment before taking a deep breath and bringing her gaze back to his. 'I – I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, either.' She smiled over at him, her voice soft as butterflies flitted about within her stomach. 'No man – not even father – has ever treated me with as much respect as you do; no man has ever kissed me like you did when we were standing out on the terrace last night. If I'm honest, I – I didn't want the kiss to end.'

She watched the corners of Georg's mouth curl up into a smile, her heart beginning to race faster when he placed his hand palm-up on the table and she slipped her own into it before he slipped his fingers through the gaps in hers.

'I didn't want it to, either.' He admitted as he caressed her knuckles with a sweep of his thumb. 'You are an incredible woman, Maria, you're loving, you're compassionate, you're gentle and you've got such an amazing sense of humour.' Maria let out a quiet giggle as her eyes sparkled and she stroked his thumb with hers.

'I – I think I might've fallen in love with you.' She felt tears burn in the back of her eyes at his words, a lump forming in her throat before she swallowed to remove it and tightened her hold upon his hand. She couldn't remember a time she had felt so happy!

'Me too.' She whispered as the tears caught in her throat. 'I know you so little but I couldn't be more certain.' A single tear escaped from her eye and scrolled down her cheek then, Georg letting out a chuckle as he used his spare hand to stop the tear in its tracks and sweep it away.

He gave her cheek another caress before drawing his hand back and drinking in her natural beauty. 'I know that your father won't approve if we start a relationship,' He sighed, 'It's clear that he doesn't want you and I to have anything to do with one another, but I love you too much to lose you. I want to be with you; I want to have the right to hold you close and to kiss you whenever I desire to do so. Most of all, I want to be able to protect you from those men that your father sets you up with.'

'I don't care if father disapproves of us being together.' She gave his hand a squeeze. 'I'm not a child anymore; I'm a grown woman and I'm sick to death of him treating me like I'm still six years old! I love you, Georg, and even if he does attempt to put a stop to our relationship, it's not going to change how I feel about you.'

The deep love that he held for her was evident in his eyes, his lips curling up into a small smile when she rose from her side of the booth and walked around to his before lowering herself down to sit beside him.

'Put your arm around me.' She instructed as she shuffled closer to him, Georg slipping his arm around her waist before he drew her closer and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder. 'This feels _so_ right.' She told him as her eyes fell closed.

He was unable to resist pressing a kiss to her brow. 'It does.'

She snuggled further into his side after a time, feeling him run the palm of his hand along the curve of her waist through her dress. 'I always thought that "love at first sight" was nothing but fairy-tale nonsense.' She tilted her head back against his shoulder, Georg turning his head in her direction before their eyes met and she curled her fingers into his shirt. 'I thought it only happened in the books that mother would read to me at bedtime as a child; I never once thought that it would happen to _me.'_ Georg tightened his hold around her as he nuzzled her forehead.

'And now that it has?' He raised his brow at her.

'It's the most incredible feeling.' She whispered, reaching up to trace his jawline with the tips of her fingers. She allowed her gaze to drop from his and down to his lips, her cheeks burning when she met his tender gaze once more and saw the smirk that had spread across his features.

Georg was unable to suppress the chuckle that escaped him as he pulled her closer. 'Come here.' He shook his head at her, not quite knowing what it was that he had done right in order to earn the love of such an incredible young woman, before cupping the curve of her cheek in his palm and capturing her lower lip in a slow kiss.

He caressed her cheek with simple strokes of his thumb as their lips moved over one another's for a time, Maria's hand seeking out the side of his neck when she lingered upon his lower lip as they began to part from their kiss. 'What time will your chauffeur be coming to drive you home?' He inquired when he pressed his forehead against her own, Maria smiling up at him.

'Ernst agreed to pick me up from here at half-past six, so we have a couple of hours yet.' She told him as she ran the palm of her hand along his chest, his own hand running along the length of her back through her dress as he left a kiss to the tip of her nose. 'Why do you ask?'

He leaned back in his seat before opening his arms to her again, Maria shuffling back into them before her head fell against his chest and she felt him kiss her crown. 'How would you feel about going for a picnic lunch in the mountains with me?' He asked as he ran the palm of his hand along the outside of her arm, feeling his heart swell with love for her when she drew back from his chest for a moment in order to look up into his eyes.

'We could pick up a couple of things from a store on the way to the Untersberg and then we can spend the afternoon in the mountains before we come back here.' A smile lit up Maria's features as she was clearly in favour of the idea.

'I would love it.' She told him as she settled against him once more. 'I haven't been in the mountains since I was seven, I think. I haven't been up there since before mother died, anyway. I remember how she and father would take me up there once a month and we would spend the whole day together. I miss that.' She felt a pang of sadness hit her as she thought about her mother before Georg planted a kiss on her cheek and began to run his hand along her arm once more in a comforting fashion.

'Come on, you.' His voice was gentle in her ear. 'Let's get you in the car.'

She slipped out from the booth that the two of them had shared then before allowing him to slip his hand into hers, her fingers slipping through the gaps in his own before he began to lead her through the tea-room and out of the door.

Once the two of them were out in the town centre, he led her over to his car which was parked a short distance away before opening the passenger-side door for her and helping her to step into the vehicle.

He then stroked her face with the back of his palm before closing the door and making his way around to his own side, Maria watching him as he slipped into the seat and started the engine. 'I might even purchase us a bottle of champagne if you're lucky.' He smirked.

'Goodness me, Captain, you _do_ know how to treat a Lady.' She giggled before taking his hand in hers once again and lacing their fingers, kissing his knuckles as he drove them out of the busy town centre.

* * *

Georg was unable to remove the smile of adoration from his lips as he was sitting in the shade of one of the tall pine trees up on the Untersberg later that afternoon, nothing but love sparkling in his eyes as his gaze was fixed upon the beautiful young woman who was fast asleep with her head settled in his lap.

Maria had succumbed to the clutches of slumber after unpinning her hair and resting her head in Georg's lap after finishing half of her second glass of champagne, and he had been afraid to move an inch ever since lest he wake her. She looked so perfect when she was asleep.

Her long hair was splayed out over his legs as her fringe had fallen into her face, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks as her lips were slightly parted and she was snoring.

He still found it hard to believe how quickly things had progressed since their initial meeting the previous evening. He had known - from the moment he had clapped eyes on her – that she had been the most beautiful woman in the room the night before, but he never imagined that he would be sat here now – with Maria safe in his embrace after the two of them had confessed their love for one another. He had never believed in "love at first sight" more.

He ran the back of his palm down her cheek as he took a sip of his champagne after sitting in a comfortable silence for a time, a whine coming from Maria as the action caused her to rouse from her slumber.

It was a few moments later when her eyes flickered open, a smile spreading across her features as her gaze focused on him and he stroked her fringe out of her face. 'Hello, sleepyhead.' He kept his voice gentle as he leaned back against the trunk of the tree. 'I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you.' She shook her head in response as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, her hand cupping the side of his neck before she leaned in to give him a kiss.

'What time is it?' She asked as she shifted to sit next to him, Georg wrapping his arm around her shoulders in order to bring her further into his warmth as he checked what time it read on his watch.

'Quarter-past four, darling.' He told her as she draped her arm across his middle and buried her face in the side of his neck, nuzzling his skin with the tip of her nose. 'So we have another hour-and-a-half together at least before I have to drive you back to the tea-room.'

Maria gave a nod against his neck before a sigh of satisfaction left her when he tightened his hold around her shoulders and turned his head in her direction before giving her brow a kiss. 'I love the feeling of you in my arms, you know.' His lips grazed her skin. 'I love knowing that you're safe.'

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence for a short while as he trailed his fingertips along the outside of her arm, her eyelashes fluttering against his neck as the breeze swept through both their hair in a soothing fashion.

Maria drew back from his neck after a time, however, her hand coming up to rest upon his chest as she tilted her head back against his shoulder and their eyes met. 'I love you…' She smiled as she ran her hand along the front of his chest, her eyes sparkling.

'I love you too, sweetheart.' He reassured her as he stroked several strands of her hair out of her face. The two of them gazed into one another's eyes for a few minutes as she cupped the side of his neck in her palm and stroked her thumb against the skin that she discovered there, his arm unwinding from around her shoulders before he slipped it around her waist and he snugged her closer.

'Would you like to go for a walk? I know that there's a beautiful river not too far away, and taking a walk will give us time to talk about things.' Maria nodded before brushing his lips with hers in an open-mouthed kiss, a tingle coursing through her when he hummed.

The two of them then set about packing up the picnic that they had brought with them before rising from the spot that they had chosen, a smile of adoration upon Maria's lips when she slipped her arm through the handles of the picnic basket in order to carry it and Georg slipped one of his hands into her free one.

'You're so beautiful.' He whispered into her hair once he had buried a kiss into it. 'I'm the luckiest man in all of Salzburg.' The blush that bloomed in her cheeks didn't go unnoticed by him and he was unable to prevent himself from falling more in love with her because of it, a chuckle leaving him when the two of them began to walk together and he laced his fingers with her own. He couldn't remember ever having a more incredible day.

* * *

'Are you certain that you're going to be alright?' He asked when the two of them were sat together in his car outside the little tea-room at quarter-past six that evening, a look of uncertainty on his face as he reached out to run the back of his palm down her cheek. 'I hate the thought of leaving you here on your own.' Maria offered him a small smile as she shifted closer to him upon the bench seat.

Placing her hand upon the centre of his chest through his shirt, she brushed his cheek with her lips. 'I'll be fine, sweetheart.' She reassured him. 'I'll just sit and wait inside until I see Ernst's car. If it puts your mind at rest, I'll telephone you once father has retired to bed for the evening.' Georg gave her hair a stroke with the palm of his hand before his arm slipped around her waist and he pulled her close to him, Maria laying her head down upon his shoulder as she smiled up at him.

He gazed into her eyes for a time before stroking the tips of his fingers along the length of her neck, causing her to shiver in response in his hold. 'What's going on in that beautiful little mind of yours?' He inquired as it was clear to him that she was thinking about something, Maria letting out a giggle when his voice brought her back to the present and she looked up into his eyes again.

'I just don't want this day to end.' She admitted as she leaned against him, a look of slight sadness on her face. 'I don't want to go home just to have father interrogate me about where I've been and who I've been with, and I don't want him to make threats like he did this morning when I told him that it wasn't you that I was meeting. You've made me so happy today, Georg, and I don't want him to ruin that.' He felt his heart sink a little at that before he ran his hand along the curve of her waist through her dress, Maria's hand resting on his knee through his trousers as she grazed his nose with her own.

Their eyes met once again after a time and the two of them held the other's gaze before he leaned in and gave her lower lip a soft kiss. The kiss was brief and lasted no longer than a second, but the smile that formed upon his beloved's lips when he drew back from her told him that she had appreciated it. 'I don't want the day to end either, darling, but this isn't going to be the last day we spend together.'

He cupped the side of her neck beneath the curtain of her hair, stroking her skin with the pad of his thumb. 'I understand that – in order to prevent your father from finding out about us – it won't be possible for us to spend every day together, but I mean to make the most of the days that we _do _get to spend together.' Maria sat up then before wrapping her arms around his neck and stroking the hairs at the nape of his neck with her fingers, tears brimming in her eyes as she smiled at him.

'So do I.' She whimpered.

Her arms tightened their hold around his neck when his lips covered hers in another kiss just seconds later, her heart racing as his hands found the span of her waist and he brought her as close as possible before winding his arms around her waist and holding her against him.

This kiss held more meaning than the kiss that they'd shared the evening before had – it was longer and much more delectable – and Maria felt as though she were lighter than air as his lips moved over hers. She felt him trace the seam of her lower lip with his tongue after a time and she stiffened in his embrace for a moment, allowing her body to relax when he cradled the back of her head in his palm.

She tentatively parted her lips beneath his own when he traced the curve of her skull with his thumb – trying her hardest to follow his lead as she had never been kissed in such a way before – before she felt her heart flutter within her chest when their tongues began to dance. She knew that the two of them were in public; that they shouldn't be engaging in such a passionate kiss in the middle of the town centre, but if she were honest with herself, she didn't care much.

The longer that their kiss went on, the more it seemed as though everyone else in the world just ceased to exist. Her arms unwound from around his neck after a few minutes, her lips curling up into a smile against his when she began to thread her fingers through his thick strands of dark hair. 'I love you so much.' Georg sighed in-between kisses as his hands roamed over her back, his breath hitting her in the face.

'I love you too.' She breathed.

Their deep kiss reached a natural conclusion when the need for air became too overbearing for them to ignore, Georg drawing back from her after lingering upon her lower lip and placing his hand upon the small of her back to hold her against his chest.

Her eyes delayed opening as she was still able to feel his firm yet tender kisses upon her lips seconds later, her belly becoming filled with butterflies when her eyes finally flickered open and she could see the deep love in his own. 'That was…wow…' She giggled as she removed her fingers from his hair, Georg chuckling.

'I agree.' He took her face in his hands before leaning his forehead against hers. 'My Maria.'

They indulged in a final kiss before she settled beside him once more and he slipped his arm around her. With a sigh she took his hand in her own and slipped her fingers through the gaps in his, bringing his hand to her lips before brushing an open-mouthed kisses against his knuckles. 'It's twenty-past.' She said as her heart sank when she glanced down at his wrist-watch, settling back in his arms for a moment. 'I know you have to go, but I don't want you to.' Georg nuzzled her hairline.

'It's not forever.' He reminded her when he looked into her eyes. 'And we can talk on the telephone every evening until we see each other again, so we won't be kept apart completely.' She gave a nod in response before running her hand across his chest. 'Promise me that you'll telephone me later on to let me know that you got home safe?' He raised his brow at her as he drew her into his warmth.

'I promise.' She reassured him. 'Now, you should go just in case Ernst decides to get here early.'

He reluctantly removed his arm from around her in order to allow her to step out of the car, a gentle smile spreading across her features when she walked around to his side of the vehicle. She then bent at the waist in order to brush his lips with hers, Georg's hand finding the back of her neck to hold her in place before they parted with a soft smack.

'Thank you for this afternoon.' She stroked her fingers through his hair. 'I had such a brilliant time with you and I can't put into words how much I love you.'

He caught her wrist in his hand before removing her hand from his hair, her eyes shining with love for him when he pressed his lips to the back of her palm. 'The love I have for you is so strong that it hurts.'

She was unable to prevent herself from leaning down to steal a final kiss, her breathing heavy when she pulled back and returned to her normal height. 'I'll call you at around half-past ten.' She told him. 'Father will have retired to bed then, so you and I can talk for as long as we like.'

'I look forward to it.' He smiled before starting the engine. 'Auf wiedersehen, my gorgeous girl.'

'Auf wiedersehen, darling.' She replied.

He then began to drive away from her, but she didn't stop waving or turn to make her way inside the tea-room until he was completely out of sight. There was a smile etched into her features when she pushed open the door to the tea-room – the kind of smile that appeared upon a schoolgirl's lips after she had had her first kiss – but she didn't care. For the first time, she was in a relationship with a man who loved her strongly and saw her as a _person_ as opposed to an object that he could control.

And there were no words to describe just how incredible that felt.

* * *

'Oh, Emilia, we had the most wonderful afternoon.' Maria beamed as she was once again sat on the stool at her dressing table later that evening and she continued to rub her moisturiser into her hands and forearms, the ladies' maid returning her smile as she worked to brush the tangles out of her hair so that she could put it into an overnight braid.

'We sat talking for a little while at the tea-room and then he took me on a picnic on the Untersberg, and then – once we'd finished eating – he took me on a walk to a river that he knew of and told me about what it was like on-board one of his ships.'

Emilia lay a hand on her shoulder before starting to plait her hair. 'So he's a keeper, then?' She raised a brow at her through the mirror, a gentle blush blooming in her mistress's cheeks.

'He is.' Maria nodded as she sucked on her lower lip and placed her hands in her lap. 'He's so gentle with me and whenever our eyes meet or he caresses my cheek my heart starts racing. I know that he and I only met last night and I know that people might think we're rushing into this, but we don't feel as though we are. All I know is that I love him with everything I am and that he loves me just as much, and neither of us care if people don't approve. We want to be together and nothing will change that.'

'Well, you know that I'll always support you, Milady.' Emilia said as she tied a blue ribbon at the end of Maria's overnight braid, her mistress turning around on the small stool to smile at her.

'I do.' She admitted. 'And I can't tell you how grateful I am for that.'

Emilia turned on her heel then before walking over to the bed and picking up the dress that Maria had been wearing before she had changed into her nightgown, the two of them sharing a smile as she folded it over her arm. 'What's on your mind, Emilia?' Maria cocked her head to one side when she was able to tell that her maid wanted to say something, Emilia sighing as she looked at her.

'I...I should go to your father about this, Milady, I shouldn't bother you with it.' She admitted as she continued to run her fingers over the fabric of her mistress's dress, Maria rising from her stool.

'Emilia, I know that you don't like approaching father and I don't blame you. He can be a brute at the best of times, so whatever it is that's troubling you, you can tell me.' She reassured her maid, Emilia giving a slow nod with a smile before she took a step closer to Maria and met her gaze.

'I...I was wondering if I might be granted a few months' leave in about five months' time, Milady.' She admitted as the anxiousness she felt was evident in her eyes, Maria's brow furrowing ever-so-slightly.

'Might I ask what for?' She inquired as she clasped her hands in front of herself.

Emilia took a deep breath before another smile spread across her lips. 'It would appear that I am with child.' She said, her heart racing as she watched Maria's eyes light up. 'I'm only three months into my pregnancy, but my husband and I have been discussing things and he thinks that it would be better to ask for some time off now instead of at the last minute.'

Maria nodded. 'I would have gone to your father about this, but he's done so much for me as it is – what with allowing me to still work here even though I married – and I don't want him to think that I'm being ungrateful.'

'You don't have to explain yourself to me, Emilia.' Maria reassured her as she stepped forwards and placed her hand upon her upper arm, brushing her thumb against the fabric of her uniform. 'I'm so pleased that you're going to be a mother; you and your husband deserve to have some happiness after this dreadful war, and I want you to come to me if there's anything that I can do to help.'

Emilia released a soft sigh of relief as she felt the tension escape her. 'You don't have to speak to father; I'll speak to him for you, but I think it would be wise to wait for a little while because he's not in the best of moods at the moment. I promise that I will ask him as soon as possible, though.' She smiled softly.

'Thank you, Milady, I really am so grateful.' Emilia told her. 'Now, is there anything else that I can do for you before I go down?' Maria shook her head in response as she removed her hand from her arm.

'No, thank you.' She said.

'Then I shall say goodnight.' Emilia then did a small, respectful curtsy before walking over to the door.

'Goodnight, Emilia.' Maria smiled over at her. 'And please give my congratulations to your husband.'

The maid gave her a nod as she reciprocated her smile before opening the door and stepping out onto the landing, Maria walking over to her bed before she lowered herself down onto the side of it as Emilia closed the door behind her.

Once she was certain that she was alone, she opened the drawer of her nightstand before pulling out the piece of paper that she had written Georg's telephone number on. Her father had retired to bed over an hour ago now, so she knew that it was safe for her to tiptoe down to his study and lock the door so that she could call Georg, so why was she so anxious?

Perhaps it was the fear that she might get caught by her father if she wasn't quiet enough.

Perhaps it was her conscience; her mother had taught her never to tell a lie.

Pushing the negative thoughts to the back of her mind, however, she rose from the bed before making her way over to her wardrobe and retrieving her dressing gown, a sigh escaping her as she slid the small piece of paper into the pocket of it and began to walk over to her bedroom door.

She closed her eyes as she willed the door not to squeak as she opened it, relief washing over her when it came open without a sound and she was able to step out onto the landing. She then tiptoed along it – being especially quiet as she passed her father's bedroom – before descending the stairs and hurrying across the hall to his study. Once she was safely inside of it she leaned against the door, her heart pounding.

When the pounding of her heart had calmed, she locked the door before crossing the room towards her father's desk and turning on the lamp that sat on top of it. She then made her way around to the chair on the other side before lowering herself down into it, her lips curling up into a smile as she removed the receiver from its holder and put it to her ear before dialling Georg's number. She waited in silence for a time as it rang out, her heart soaring when she heard him say:

'_Hello, my love…'_

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading chapter two and I hope you all enjoyed it :) I would be so grateful if you would leave me a review to let me know what you thought and I'll see you all in the next chapter. Bye for now! x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I am so sorry for the long wait, I've just had no inspiration for this fic until now! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, though :) Happy reading x**

* * *

It was a few weeks later when Maria was sat on her own in one of the paddocks at the stables near her villa, her back leaning against the trunk of the tree that she was stealing shade from as her sketch pad was in her lap and she was sketching a picture of the black stallion that was grazing a few feet away from her. It had almost been a month since she had last been able to see Georg and she missed him so deeply. They talked on the telephone, but it wasn't the same.

She missed being wrapped in his arms. She missed burying her nose into his jacket and having each of her senses invaded by his scent. She longed to have his lips shifting over hers again, to have him tangle his hand in her hair whilst she clung to him and he kissed her as though his life depended on it. She didn't care what the two of them did, she just wanted him to be with her. _'Maybe I could visit him when father goes to Innsbruck for a week.' _She thought to herself.

Yes, that wasn't until the end of the month but at least they wouldn't get caught by her father.

She lifted her gaze from her sketchbook after a couple of minutes to look at the stallion again, a smile spreading across her lips when she noticed that he was staring at her. 'I forgot to get some from the kitchens, I'm afraid.' She told him after setting down her sketch pad and getting to her feet, the horse watching as she made her way over to him before she stroked his neck. 'I know you like your sugar-cubes, but I fed you some yesterday. You know they're bad for you.'

When he nudged at her with her head when she began to scratch his ears, she gave him a soft kiss on the nose before sighing. Out of all the horses her father owned she had always had a soft-spot for Eclipse. He had been her mother's horse in the beginning - her mother had bottle fed him when his mother had rejected him and he had followed her around everywhere - and when she had been eight years old her mother had taken her to meet Eclipse for the first time.

She had fallen in love with him in minutes and it seemed as though he had fallen for her in just as little time, hence why - when her mother died - she had seen it as her responsibility to love him just as much as her mother had. When people passed his paddock they always mentioned how strong he appeared. He _was_ strong, Maria agreed with that, but she knew that there was another side to him that anyone other than her never saw. He could be such a darling at times.

'What do you say we go for a little ride around the paddock, hmm?' She raised her brow at him whilst stroking his mane, a giggle leaving her when his ears pricked up. He was the only one, out of all of her and her father's horses, that she trusted enough to ride bareback with. He had never thrown her off when she had ridden bareback with him before and she highly doubted that he was going to do so now. She left another kiss to his nose before patting his side softly.

It took her seconds to mount him, her hand running along his mane once she had managed to get somewhat comfortable. Once she had managed to get Eclipse walking she patted him on the head and sighed as he began to walk in a circle around the paddock. Whenever the two of them went on a ride together, whether it be within the paddock or on trails, she remembered all of the times her mother had taken her for little rides on him when she had been a little girl.

She missed those times more than she could put into words.

She and Eclipse did around three laps of the paddock together before a voice reached her ears that sounded very familiar. 'You never told me that you knew how to ride.' She gazed over her shoulder to make sure that it was him before a bright smile spread across her lips at the sight of Georg leaning against the fence of the paddock. She allowed Eclipse to walk her around to Georg before saying a gentle 'Whoa…' to him in order to let him know that she wanted to stop.

Once she had dismounted she gave Eclipse's ears one last scratch before taking Georg's hand, climbing over the fence, and allowing him to wrap one of his arms around her waist. 'Do you have the first idea of how much I've missed you?' He asked after bringing her flush against his chest, her gaze locked with his as she smiled and wound both of her arms around his waist. 'Of how much I've longed to hold you against me like this and kiss you until you can't breathe?'

'Well,' She unwrapped her arms from around his middle before bringing her hands to his chest and sliding them upwards, the two of them smiling when she laced her arms around his neck and grazed his nose with hers, 'I'd say that you're about halfway there at this moment in time.'

The sound of his chuckle made the love that she possessed for him deepen whilst she stroked her fingers against the hairs at the nape of his neck. 'Kiss me…' She whispered as she looked at him, 'please.' He lowered his head just seconds later before capturing her lips with his in the most delicious kiss, her fingers curling into his hair whilst she stepped closer to him. Neither of them made to deepen their kiss for quite a while. They just wanted to savour their moment.

When Georg did trace the seam of her lips with his tongue, however, she rested both hands on the sides of his neck and parted her lips beneath his own without the slightest hesitation. He kissed her so softly, their tongues waltzing with the ease of old lovers as the rest of the world just faded away. He moved his hands to her waist after a time so that he could massage it, a sigh of satisfaction escaping her as she leaned against him and traced his jaw with her thumb.

'My darling…' He mumbled between kisses.

The urge to breathe became too urgent for Maria to ignore after a little while and so, after she had given him one final kiss she drew his bottom lip through her teeth and brought their kiss to an end. 'I never want to go another month without this again.' She somehow panted as their foreheads kissed and she allowed both of her hands to travel down to the front of his chest. 'Being kept away from you for all that time has been torture.' She looked up into his dark eyes.

'I agree.' He slid his hands under her riding jacket before stroking her waist through her blouse.

'At the end of the month, father is going to Innsbruck for a week and he's told me that I have to stay here because he doesn't want me getting in the way.' She revealed as he drew her a little closer. 'At first I didn't know whether to feel offended or pleased, but when I realised that we'll be able to spend more time together because I'm not going, I felt happier than I had in weeks.'

Georg chuckled before resting his hand on the back of her head and kissing her on the hairline. 'What would you say if I asked you to come over for dinner at my villa on one of those nights, hmm?' He raised his brow at her after meeting her gaze again, Maria smirking softly up at him.

'I'd probably say that I would love it.' She replied. 'You know; it's my birthday on the Tuesday.'

'Your own father isn't going to be here for your birthday?' He frowned.

She shook her head whilst lacing both of her arms around his middle and grasping the back of his jacket in her hands. 'The last time he was home or gave me anything for my birthday was when I was fourteen.' She admitted. 'Mother died two weeks after my birthday and every year since he's made sure that he's out of town on my birthday. He says that it's not intentional - that he's just busy - but I know it's because he doesn't like spending money on me these days.'

Georg ran his hand over her hair when she gazed down at his chest for a time before she lifted her gaze back to his and offered him a smile. 'It doesn't bother me anymore.' She sighed as he played with the ends of the curls that hung down her back. 'It upset me when I was young, but I'm used to it now. Besides, I have you to spend my birthday with this year.' She went onto her toes in order to kiss him tenderly, her head coming to lie on his shoulder once they had parted.

'You do.' He smiled against her ear whilst stroking her hair back behind her ear before they fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes whilst he held her. 'We could get out of Salzburg for the week if you would like.' He said to her when he began to stroke her back with his hands.

She drew back from his shoulder at his suggestion before their eyes met.

'What do you have in mind?' She cocked her head to one side.

'I have a villa in Vienna that I bought before the war.' He revealed as he rested his hands on her waist. 'It's not as big as the one I have here in Salzburg, but we would be comfortable there if you want to go and spend the week in it when your father is out of town. I could come and pick you up from your villa and take you to mine on the Monday so we can have dinner and spend the night there and then we can go to Vienna on the Tuesday and spend the entire week there.'

Maria couldn't keep the smile from her lips. 'That sounds so lovely. I could tell father that I and some friends are going on a sketching trip for the week so that he doesn't become suspicious, too.' She revelled in the chuckle that Georg gave as he smoothed the backs of his fingers down her cheek, her eyes drifting closed when he leaned in to give her a delicate kiss on the temple.

'I love you.' He shook his head after drawing back from her skin.

'I love you too.' She reassured him. 'If you don't mind me asking...why did you come here?'

He took his hand in hers. 'I always go on hacks on a Saturday morning.'

'Have you been on your hack yet?' She asked him.

'Not yet.' He replied. 'I was just walking to the stables when I saw you.'

She nodded in response. 'Would you mind if I join you? I haven't been on a hack in months.'

'Of course you can join me.' He squeezed her hand. 'Nothing would make me happier.'

Just a moment after she had stretched up to peck his cheek, Eclipse let out a snort that caught her attention. She giggled as she let go of Georg's hand in order to rest her own on the side of Eclipse's neck, the love that she had for him deepening as he leaned into her palm as she gave his neck a stroke. 'Eclipse was my mother's.' She explained when Georg's hand found her back through her jacket. 'She took me to meet him for the first time when I was eight and the two of us have been inseparable since then. When mother died I chose to be the one to care for him.'

'That doesn't surprise me.' Georg admitted whilst nuzzling his nose against her hair.

'I think I'll bring him on our hack.' She said. 'It's been a while since I took him out on one.'

When she looked up at Georg again she allowed him to press a kiss to her lips before her hand left the side of Eclipse's neck and she slipped it into his own. 'Come on,' She laced her fingers with his, 'father said that he wants me to be back before lunchtime, so we should probably get a move on.' Georg nodded and gave her hand a squeeze before taking her over to the stables.

As the two of them gathered the saddles and the other equipment that they required, a gentle smile appeared on Maria's lips. She knew that she was taking a risk; she knew that there was a chance that someone would tell her father that she and Georg were going on a hack, but - to be honest - she didn't care in the slightest. The love that she held for Georg was greater than the fear she had of her father and she'd do whatever - no matter what it was - to be with him.

'Ready?' The sound of Georg's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

'Ready.' She reassured him before she began to follow him out of the stables.

She couldn't wait to find out what the rest of the morning had in store for the two of them.

* * *

The feeling of his fingers threading through her hair caused her to release a quiet hum into his mouth when the two of them were sat kissing on a bank that led down to a stream later that morning, her hand resting on his bicep through his shirt as his hand laid on her lower back and he held her close. His lips were soft and warm beneath hers and she felt her heart race each time he sighed in satisfaction into her mouth. It thrilled her to know that he adored her kisses.

When his lips left hers and began to move across her cheek and towards her neck she pressed her forehead into his shoulder, her breathing rapid as she smiled and focused completely on the feeling of his lips on her skin. A shiver coursed through her when his lips found her neck at last and her hand left his bicep and went to his hair on instinct, a whimper leaving her when his lips left a kiss to the sensitive spot just beneath her ear and she buried her face in his neck.

'Sensitive?' He hummed as he smirked against her skin.

'A little.' She breathed with a smile whilst grazing his neck with her nose.

He gave her neck simple kisses for a few minutes before peeling back from her to look into her eyes. 'You are _so_ beautiful.' He told her as he brought his hand up to tuck a curl back beneath her ear, a blush blooming in her cheeks when her gaze left his and landed on his chest. A smile curled her lips when he took her chin on his finger and directed her gaze back to his, the pad of his thumb running along the line of her jaw. 'You mean the world to me, Maria, I swear that.'

'I know,' She replied, 'and you mean just as much to me.'

She leaned forward to peck at his lips before shuffling closer to him and allowing his shoulder to cradle her head, his arm circling her waist before he grazed her hairline with his nose. 'On this trip to Vienna that you're taking me on…' She busied herself with playing with the fingers on his spare hand, 'will we be sleeping in the same bed?' She smiled as she gazed up at him.

'Would you like to?' He massaged her waist.

She sucked on her lower lip as she nodded. 'Can we?'

'We can do whatever you want, sweetheart.' He reassured her. 'It's your birthday trip.'

'I've never been to Vienna before.' She admitted.

'You haven't?' He seemed rather surprised.

'I've never been out of Salzburg.' She told him. 'Well, unless being born in the cabin of a train in between Innsbruck and Salzburg counts.' She giggled when she saw the look on Georg's face.

After a few seconds he said: 'You were born on a train?'

'I was born a week-and-a-half before I was supposed to be.' She told him. 'My parents had just gone to visit someone - I don't know who - and mother went into labour on the train back to Salzburg. My mother once told me that I came faster than she and the doctor thought I would.'

Georg chuckled before grazing her nose with his. 'You never fail to astound me.'

'I love talking to you. There's no-one to really talk to at home except Emilia, my maid.' She said.

'You can always talk to me.' He stroked her face. 'You can talk to me about anything.'

'I know.' She slipped her arms around his waist. 'That's one of the reasons why I love you.'

She left an open-mouthed kiss to the underside of his jaw before snuggling into him, a slightly downhearted sigh leaving her when she looked at the watch on his wrist and saw that it was 11:15. 'We ought to start getting back.' She told him. 'It'll take us at least ten minutes to make it back to the yard and then we need to put eveything away. Father will kill me if I'm late home.'

'I'll drive you back to the villa once we've put the saddles back.' Georg offered her a smile after rising from the bank with her, his arm circling her waist as they walked towards their horses.

'You're such a darling.' She sighed. 'Would you be able to drop me off before we reach the front gates? I don't want to risk father seeing us together because he won't let me out of the villa.'

Georg nodded with a kiss to the crown of her head. 'I'll let you out when we get to the hedges.'

'Thank you.' She smiled.

The two of them then untied their horses before mounting them and making them walk in the direction that they had come. Yes, Maria was somewhat downhearted that her morning with Georg had come to an end, but knowing that in just a few weeks she was going to spend night after night wrapped in his arms in Vienna made her happier than she could put into words.

She truly couldn't wait.

* * *

'Thank you for driving me home, darling, you didn't have to.' She smiled when she turned to him after he had stopped the car at the beginning of the hedges, Georg grasping one of the hands that were resting in her lap in his own before he brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it warmly.

'As if I was going to let you walk home alone.' He smirked whilst giving her hand a squeeze.

She leaned in to press her lips to his cheek before settling back in her seat and sighing. 'I just wish that we didn't have to sneak around all the time. I want to be able to go up to father and tell him that you and I are spending time together, but I can't. I love you, Georg, and you always make me feel so happy. Father just can't see that.' She felt Georg stroke her cheek when she sighed softly.

'I know, sweetheart, I don't like it either.' He admitted. 'There's nothing I want more than for the two of us to be able to spend time together without having to look over our shoulders every three seconds and to tell people that we're in a relationship, but we can't do that at this moment in time. I promise you, though, that one day we will tell your father and anyone else we choose about us.'

Maria turned her head in his direction before offering him a smile. 'What if father still disagrees?'

'I don't care if he disagrees.' He told her. 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you.'

A blush rose in her cheeks. 'You mean…'

'Yes.' He caressed her knuckles with his thumb. 'I'm planning on marrying you one day.'

'Well, I wouldn't object.' She said.

Georg reached out with his free hand and laid it on the side of her neck before following her sharp jawline with his thumb. 'I've been thinking about it a lot, you know.' He told her in a soft voice.

'Oh?' She raised her brow.

He nodded in response with a smile. 'I realise that it would be a little awkward for us to remain in Salzburg once we're married, what with your father disliking me and disproving of us being near each other, so I thought that we would go to Paris for our honeymoon and then go and live in that villa in Vienna once we're back. That way, we wouldn't have to worry about seeing your father.'

Maria giggled as her eyes sparkled. 'Goodness, you _have _given it a lot of thought!'

'I love you, Maria, more than I have ever loved another person. I want to spend the rest of my life beside you. I want to wake up and fall asleep knowing that you're safe next to me, I want to keep you safe and I want to have children with you.' He cupped her cheek under the curtain of her hair.

'Children?' She smiled as he stroked her skin with his thumb.

'Do you want children?' He asked her.

She nodded. 'I do. I've always loved the thought of being pregnant and having a large family.'

'You are going to make the perfect wife and mother.' He sighed. 'I know you are.'

She allowed him to draw her into a slow kiss before they parted and she looked down at the watch on his wrist. 'I have to go in.' She told him when she looked up into his eyes again. 'I'll telephone you later though if you want me to.' Georg gave her face a warm stroke with the back of his hand.

'Of course I do.' He replied. 'One more before you go?'

She feigned annoyance by tutting and rolling her eyes at him when he smirked at her. 'I guess you have earned it since you drove me all the way here.' She teased before lying her hand on his chest.

After leaning in she captured his lower lip in a kiss that turned deep after just a few moments, her hand sliding up towards his shoulder whilst he massaged her waist through her dress. Their kiss ended a short time later, the two of them parting from it with a smack before her eyes opened and she looked into his eyes. 'I can't wait to have a week of this when we go to Vienna.' She smiled.

'You and me both, my sweet.' He grazed her nose with his before she unbuckled her seatbelt.

'Should I telephone you at ten?' She asked.

'You can telephone me whenever you like.' He replied. 'I love you.'

'I love you too.' She gave him one last smile before opening the car door and sliding out of the car.

She then ran a hand through her hair before walking up the lane towards the gates to her villa and waving at him, the love that she held for him deepening when he gave her a wave in reply before she opened one of the gates and entered the villa grounds. It took her moments to walk over to the front door and enter the villa once Johannes had opened the door for her. 'You don't know where father is, do you, Johannes?' She cocked her brow at him once he had shut the front door after her.

'He's in the dining room, milady.' He revealed.

Maria's heart raced for a moment. 'I'm not late, am I?'

'No, milady, I don't believe you are.' He replied. 'He and the young man have just gone in.'

'Young man?' Her brow furrowed.

He gave a nod in response before she smiled at him and walked towards the dining room, her gaze immediately falling on the fair-haired young man who was sitting beside her father at the dinner table. 'Ah, there you are.' Her father said to her. 'You remember Hans from the party, don't you?'

Oh yes, she remembered him.

Of course she remembered the man who had held her against the wall and forced himself on her.

'Yes, father.' She nodded.

From the seat on her father's left, Hans looked at her with a small smirk.

'Well, don't be rude. What do you say?' Karl demanded.

'Forgive me, Hans.' She forced herself to offer him a smile. 'Good afternoon.'

'Good afternoon, Maria.' He replied.

She felt her heart sink at the look in his eye.

'Maria, why don't you go upstairs and change into something more…' He looked her up and down to take in the sight of her in her riding outfit, '…presentable?' He took a sip from his glass of port.

'Yes, father.' She replied before turning on her heel and walking out of the dining room.

Once she was out of sight of her father and Hans she ran up the stairs to her room, closed the door behind herself and pressed her back up against it. She then took a few deep breaths as tears began to fill her eyes before she covered her face with her hands, slid down the door and burst into tears.

* * *

'_Maria…are you alright?' _Georg asked when the two of them were talking on the telephone late that evening and he was able to hear the slight tearfulness coating her voice whilst she spoke to him.

'Yes,' She replied whilst twirling a curl around her finger, 'I'm just a little tired after today.'

'_Sweetheart, please don't shut me out.' _He said gently. _'I know that we haven't been together long, but I've known you long enough now to know when something's bothering you. You can talk to me about anything.'_

'If I tell you,' She started, 'you have to promise me that you won't lose your temper.'

'_I promise.' _He told her.

'Do you remember that man who held me against the wall and forced himself off of me at father's party? The man that you dragged off of me?' She asked as she felt tears sting the back of her eyes.

'_How could I forget?' _He almost spat. _'Piece of scum.'_

'Well,' She sniffed, 'when I walked into the dining room after you had driven off he…he was with father. Father had invited him over for lunch because he wanted to talk about the two of us being together. When Hans left, father said that he would be a good suitor for me because he has a lot of money and he's friends with his father.' The soft tears were becoming trapped in her throat now.

Georg remained silent for a few seconds. _'So what's going to happen now?' _He asked her.

'I…' She cleared her throat, '…I have to go on a hack with him on Friday.'

'_You are not going __anywhere_ _alone with him.' _He growled. _'Your father's a flaming idiot.'_

A tear scrolled down her cheek. 'I have to.' She told him. 'Even if I don't, father will rearrange it.'

'_Don't worry, my darling,' _He soothed, _'I'll take care of this.'_

'How?' She asked through the tears that were scrolling down her cheeks.

Georg sighed on the other end of the line. _'I'll think of something. Just don't worry and trust me, okay?'_

'Okay.' She wiped the tears off of her cheeks with the palm of her free hand. 'I trust you.'

'_Nothing bad is going to happen to you, Maria. I _won't_ allow it.' _He told her.

She nodded, smiling. 'Okay. I love you.'

'_I love you too, my gorgeous girl.' _He reassured her. _'I love you too.'_

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading chapter 3! I hope you all enjoyed and please review, thank you! See you all next time x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hi everyone and welcome to chapter four! I'm not too sure what I think of the last half because I wrote it at midnight, but I hope you all like this chapter. Happy reading! x**

* * *

Maria had to clasp her hands in front of herself to keep them from trembling when she and Hans were on a stroll through the gardens of her villa a few mornings later. Her father – without informing her of it (perhaps because he had known that she would be against the idea) – had invited Hans to join them for breakfast that morning and so he had been sat waiting in the sitting room for her when she had come downstairs after dressing for the day.

He hadn't left her alone during breakfast. Her father had insisted that the two of them sat right next to each other at the table. If he hadn't been caressing her lower leg with his foot he had been placing his hand on her knee and it had made her feel sick to her stomach. She didn't _want _to be touched in such a way by him; by a man she didn't love. If there was one man that she wanted to touch her in that way, then it was – and always would be – Georg.

Hans – for the moment at least – hadn't touched her since the two of them had come outside and she hadn't even tried to converse with him. She just wanted to get through their walk and return to the villa without having him talk to her or reach out to touch her, but she had quite a deep feeling that that wasn't going to end up happening.

She was right.

After just a couple of minutes he stepped closer to her and his arm circled her waist. She moved to one side so his arm fell from around her waist, but when he saw one of the stone benches he took hold of her wrist through her glove. 'Let's sit down for a while.' He told her when he turned his head in her direction and looked into her eyes.

'I'd rather not, if that's alright.' She replied. 'I have quite a few things that I need to get done this morning.'

'Come on.' He pressed. 'Five minutes, that's all I'm asking.'

'Hans, I couldn't care less if it was _two_ minutes.' She admitted. 'I've given you my answer.'

She whimpered when a burning sensation shot through her cheek and she lifted her hand to it, warm tears filling her eyes as she gasped and glared at him as it dawned on her that he had just slapped her across the face. 'Listen to me, you little wretch.' Hans lowered his voice to a growl as he took a step closer to her. 'The thought of having you for a suitor makes me feel as sick as the thought of having me for one makes you, but our fathers believe it's the right thing to do. I don't care what you do when I'm not around, but when I am you do as your told, alright?'

She nodded as her hand rested on her burning cheek.

'What was that? I didn't hear you.' He asked.

'Alright.' Her voice was soft.

Her stomach churned when he leaned in to press his lips against her hairline. 'That's what I like to hear. Now, I'll say it again. Let's go and sit down on that bench for a while.' He rested his hand over the one that she had rested on her cheek before removing it, grasping it in his own and sliding his fingers through the small gaps in her own.

'Okay.' She replied without meeting his gaze.

She then allowed him to lead her over to the bench that he had spotted, her eyes brimming with tears as she sank her teeth into her lower lip to keep them back and her thoughts went to Georg. He would never treat her in such a way. Oh, how she longed to have him wrap her in his arms right now and reassure her that it would all be fine.

He had promised her that he would take care of things so that she wouldn't end up having to go out on that hack with Hans on Friday and she hoped that whatever plan he had up his sleeve worked. What was to say that Hans wouldn't force himself on her again if they went out on their hack? The two of them would be alone together and so she didn't doubt that he would take the opportunity to do so. She prayed that Georg got her out of their hack.

She sat down beside Hans on the bench once the two of them had walked over to it and laid her hands in her lap, a sigh escaping her as she gazed down at them. 'I suppose we should talk about our inevitable marriage.' Hans said after the two of them had sat together in silence for a few minutes, Maria's heart starting to pound inside her chest once she had registered his words and she lifted her gaze from his lap and turned her head towards him.

'Marriage?' She breathed.

'What do you _think _comes after a courtship?' He rolled his eyes. 'Our fathers want us to be wed.'

She fell quiet for a time.

'Once we're married,' He started, 'we will go on a month-long honeymoon trip to Italy and on our return we will live together in my father's villa for a year or so in order for you to bear me a son before we find our own villa.'

'I don't want children.' She lied when she looked at him again and there were tears sparkling in her eyes.

Hans scoffed. 'All you have to do is give birth to it and then it's the Nanny's problem until it's old enough to care for itself. You will give me a son at one point, Maria. I won't allow the Fischer name to die with us.' He told her.

'Suppose…suppose I don't have a boy. What if I give you daughters?' She asked after swallowing her tears.

'I don't want daughters.' He said. 'If we have girls we'll put them up for adoption.'

Maria's sadness turned into anger at his words. 'You've got to be kidding me.' She hissed.

'I assure you, Maria, I never kid.' He replied.

'So you would put our child up for adoption just because it's a girl and not a boy?' Her eyes shot daggers at him.

He nodded. 'That's correct.'

'Well, Herr Fischer,' She cleared her throat whilst she rose from the bench, 'I'm afraid I can't go through with this arrangement. I refuse to be tied down to someone so heartless! Good day to you.' She turned on her heel to walk back towards the villa then, a gasp leaving her when he seized her wrist and turned her to him. 'Leave me alone.'

He stared at her for a couple of seconds before almost dragging her towards the boat house. She tried her hardest to wrench her wrist out of his grasp but he was far too strong for her and when he forced her into the little room she knew that she was in for it…

* * *

The incessant ringing of the doorbell continued as Georg left his sitting room and walked across the foyer toward the front door later that morning and he was prepared to give whoever was on his doorstep a piece of his mind, but when he all but threw open the door and saw none other than Maria there his anger dissipated. It didn't turn into happiness, however, it turned into concern as she stood in front of him with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Her face and neck were scratched and red, the sleeves and the hem of the dress she had on were torn, her bottom lip was split and he could _see _her trembling. He watched her open and close her mouth a couple of times as she tried to speak through her tears, but when she burst into sobs he took a step closer to her and wrapped her gently in his arms. 'It's alright, darling, I've got you.' He comforted into her hair whilst she cried loudly into his chest.

As she hid her face in his chest in an attempt to keep her sobs muffled he was able to feel her tears going through his shirt and causing it to stick to his chest, but he didn't care. He couldn't care less if she ruined his shirt and he needed to go out and get another. All he cared about at that moment in time was calming her down and trying to figure out what had happened to her. 'He…he wouldn't stop, Georg!' She choked out as she clung to his jacket.

'Who wouldn't? Who wouldn't stop, sweetheart?' He ran his hand over her curls.

'Hans!' She exclaimed.

When she felt him stiffen she drew back from his chest and removed her hands from his jacket in order to use her palms to remove the tears from her cheeks, gentle hiccups leaving her as she looked up at him. 'Can I come in? I don't want to tell you what happened out here and I'm…I'm a little cold.' A small smile appeared on Georg's lips before he nodded and cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand, his lips finding her hairline before he kissed it.

'Come on.' He moved to one side so that she could enter the villa first before he followed her and closed the door behind her. 'We can go and sit in my study, sweetheart, we won't be interrupted in there.' She gave a trembling nod in response before allowing him to take her hand in his and guide her down the stairs, through the foyer and into his study. 'Would you like a drink?' He raised his brow at her after he had shut the door behind them both.

'Would it be alright if I had some Scotch?' She asked him.

He chuckled in response before kissing her on the temple. 'Of course. Have a seat on the settee and I'll make it.'

She did as she was told before watching him walk over to the drink table and fix her a glass of whiskey, a tender smile appearing on her lips when he walked back over to her and allowed her to take it from him. 'Thank you, darling.' She said before he sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her middle. Once she had snuggled into him she threw back the glass of whiskey before looking up into his eyes. 'I…I don't know where to start.'

'Just start at the beginning.' He tucked her hair back behind her ear. 'Take all the time you need.'

'Well…' She started, 'when I came downstairs for breakfast this morning, Hans was waiting for me with father in the sitting room because father had asked him to join us for breakfast without telling me. I had to sit next to him at breakfast and he wouldn't stop touching me. He kept on running his foot up and down my leg and placing his hand on my knee.' A tear danced down her cheek before she reached up to wipe it off of her skin with her hand.

Georg shifted closer to her on the settee and tightened his hold of her before pressing a slow kiss to her shoulder. 'Then what happened?' He asked her whilst stroking her waist through her dress, Maria releasing a gentle sigh.

'After breakfast, father made us go on a walk together in the gardens. Hans asked me to sit down for a bit on one of the benches with him, but I just wanted to get the walk over and done with and so I refused.' She then paused for the next couple of seconds. 'You're not going to like this next bit, but you need to promise that you'll be calm.'

He nodded. 'I promise.'

'When I refused to sit down on the bench with him,' She grasped his free hand in hers and laced their fingers, 'he slapped me across the face. He then told me that he doesn't care what I do when I'm not with him, but I have to do as I'm told when he's around. I was too scared to tell him no when he asked me to sit down on the bench with him again.' She ran her thumb back and forth across his knuckles. 'He said some terrible things to me, Georg…'

'What kind of things?' He asked her in a gentle voice.

She sniffed before looking at him. 'He said that his father and mine want us to get married and that once we have he wants me to bear him a son. I asked him what would happen if I was to have girls instead and he said that he would put them up for adoption as soon as they're born.' Georg wiped away the tear that rolled down her cheek. 'I told him that I couldn't go through with the arrangement and tried to walk off, but…but he wouldn't let me.'

Georg felt his heart sink. 'Do…do you want to tell me what happened next?'

'I need to.' She managed to reply as tears began to claw their way up her throat.

'There's no rush, darling, take your time.' He told her.

She nodded whilst giving his hand a squeeze. 'He pulled me into the boat house and shut the door after us both. Then he pushed me up against the wall and kissed me. I tried to push him off of me, but I couldn't do it and he just held me tighter. At one point he pushed me onto the floor and carried on kissing me. When he held my arms I tried to get him off and that's how my sleeves got torn.' The tears were running down her cheeks now. 'When he covered my mouth with his hand I knew what he was planning and so I…I bit him so that I could get him off.'

'You think he was going to force you to…' Georg trailed off, not wanting to speak the word.

'I _know _he would have if I hadn't had bitten him.' She told him through her sobs as her hand trembled in his own. 'Once I had gotten back inside the villa I was planning on telling father, but when he saw me he thought that I'd been the one to fling myself at him because I was desperate. He called me an embarrassment to him and said that my mother would be so disappointed in me if she could see me now. Then he told me to get out.' She said softly.

As her tears continued to roll down her cheeks and she continued to let out quiet sobs, Georg slid his hand out of hers in order to place it on her cheek and stroke the baby hairs that he discovered at the side of her head with his thumb. 'Oh, sweetheart…' He shook his head as he felt his heart break, 'come here.' He brought her into his arms again and allowed her to slip her arms around his waist before she began to let out sobs into the side of his neck.

'I was so terrified, Georg!' She sniffled through her tears. 'I came to you because I didn't know who else to go to!'

'You did the right thing, Maria.' He hummed into her hair. 'I always want you to come to me if you need to talk.'

He held her tight to her chest whilst she cried for few minutes longer before she pulled back from him and wiped the tears off of her cheeks with her fingers. 'Would it be alright if I stayed here with you tonight? I don't want to go home just to have father shout at me and…and at the moment all I want to do is be with you.' She said to him.

'Darling, I would love to have you spend the night here, but what would you tell you father?' He took her hand.

'If I can use your telephone I could telephone Hanna, my friend, and ask her to cover for me.' She told him. 'She's like a sister to me, she always has been, and I know that she wouldn't betray me to my father. She despises him.'

Georg ran his free hand up and down her arm with a smile. 'Alright.'

'Will you kiss me? Please?' She raised her brow at him.

He didn't answer her in words, choosing instead to take her chin between his thumb and forefinger. 'Come here.' He told her before drawing her close enough to capture her bottom lip in a languid kiss that deepened instantly.

Without even realising it, Maria shifted herself so that she was sat on his lap with both arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers in his hair. She released little sounds of contentment whilst their lips caressed each other's, her heart racing when he started to run his hands up and down her waist through her dress. The need for oxygen came far too soon for her liking and so – reluctantly – she ended their kiss before moving her hands to his neck.

'You seem to have some sort of obsession with my hair, my darling.' Georg chuckled as he held her close to him.

She couldn't help but giggle.

'You seem to have the same obsession with my waist.' She teased.

When the two of them opened their eyes and looked at each other, Georg pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose and gave her waist a squeeze before she laid her head on his shoulder and grasped his shirt in her hand. 'You know what?' He ran the tip of his nose along the bridge of hers, 'I feel like spoiling you tonight.' Maria smiled lovingly.

'What do you have in mind?' She stroked his chest.

'I think I might take you out for dinner.' He admitted.

She gazed into his eyes for a few seconds. 'I don't have anything to wear.' She told him.

'We'll just go out and find you something.' He replied. 'Then, after dinner, we'll go to a hotel and spend the night in a room there so that we don't have to risk anyone seeing the two of us together.' He stroked her face tenderly.

'You would do all of that for me?' She felt her love for him deepen.

'I would do _anything_ for you.' He leaned his forehead against her own. 'I love you so much, Maria.'

She felt tears – tears of happiness rather than sadness this time – fill her eyes as she gazed at him. 'I love you too.'

The two of them shared one final kiss before he drew back from her and allowed her to sit up properly in his lap. 'Why don't you go and telephone your friend? Then we can go out and find you a dress for later this evening.'

'Okay.' She nodded before pecking his cheek and slipping from his lap.

She then walked over to the door that led out of his study before turning back to him. 'Georg?' She said to him.

'Yes, my love?' He raised her brow at her from where he was sat on the settee.

'Thank you for everything.' She smiled.

He couldn't help but smile back at her. 'You're so welcome.'

After sharing one last loving glance with him she opened the door and slipped out into the foyer in order to walk over to the table that she had seen the telephone on when she had entered the villa, Georg leaning back into the cushion on the settee once she had closed the door behind her whilst he smiled and sighed with sheer happiness.

To say that he loved Maria would be an understatement.

He _adored _her. With all his heart and soul.

And he knew that nothing would ever change that.

* * *

It was a couple of hours later when Maria was stood in front of the mirror in the master suite once she had gotten dressed for dinner, a smile on her lips as she ran her hands along the skirt of the pale blue chiffon dress that she had on and took in her appearance. Georg had spoiled her when the two of them had been looking for a dress for her to wear to dinner earlier that afternoon. He had bought her the new dress as he had said that he would, but he had also bought her a new pair of shoes, a necklace, a pair of earrings and the most beautiful golden hairpiece.

The thing that he had bought her that meant the most to her, however, was the promise ring on her finger.

He had bought it for her when the two of them had been in the shop that he had purchased both the earrings and the necklace from, but she had been so in awe of the necklace that she hadn't noticed. When he had gotten it out of his pocket once the two of them had returned to the car she had felt her heart stop for a time. It had been hours since he had slipped it onto her finger, but her breath still hitched whenever she looked down at the lovely ring.

It was simple – it was a gold band with a diamond – but it was still the most beautiful thing she possessed.

The sound of the ensuite door opening was what caught her attention after a couple of minutes and a blush grew in her cheeks when she saw the expression on Georg's face when he stepped out of the room. There was a smile on his lips as he walked up behind her and her eyes fell closed of their own accord when he laced an arm around her waist and drew her back into his chest with a kiss to the back of her head. 'You look gorgeous.' He told her.

'Thank you, sweetheart.' Her lips curled up into a smile as she covered the hand that was resting on her stomach with her own. 'You spoiled me more this afternoon than anyone has ever spoiled me before in my life.' She said.

'I haven't finished yet.' He smirked whilst resting his chin on her shoulder.

'I thought as much.' She returned his smirk as she met his gaze in the mirror. 'I can't wait for this evening.'

He turned his face into her neck before leaving soft kisses on her skin. 'That makes two of us.'

'I can't wait to sleep in your arms for the first time, either.' She admitted whilst tilting her head to one side.

'A little taster of what's to come when we go on our trip to Vienna.' He mumbled against her neck.

He pulled back from her neck after leaving a few more kisses over her skin and turned her so that she was facing him, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders before he ran them up and down the length of her arms a couple of times. 'I know that this is probably the last thing you want to talk about, my love, but I just want to know how you're feeling after this morning.' He admitted as he looked into her eyes, Maria sighing as she held him closer.

'I'm still a little sore and my lip and the scratches still sting, but I'm alright.' She reassured him. 'Thanks to you.'

'I swear, if he _ever _tries something like that again…' He growled before Maria cupped his cheek in her palm.

She rose up onto his tiptoes to kiss his lips. 'Let's not let him ruin tonight for us.' She told him once their kiss had ended. 'We can't change what he did no matter how much we want to, darling. All we can do is move past it.'

'You,' He cupped her face in his hands, 'are the strongest woman I have ever known.'

The two of them shared a smile before she allowed him to press his lips to her forehead.

Once he had left a kiss on her skin he allowed her to slip her arms around his waist and lie her head on his chest, her eyes falling closed when he wrapped one arm around her and brought the other to her hair to give it a slow stroke. 'You know; when I was watching you from the corner of the room at that party your father held, nothing could have prepared me for this.' He said to her after pressing his lips to the top of her head in a lingering kiss.

'Me either.' She whispered as she tilted her head back on his chest to look up at him. 'You make me so happy.'

'You do the exact same for me.' He smiled. 'Just hearing your voice brightens my day.'

'Charmer.' She ran her hand across his chest.

He allowed the tips of their noses to graze for a few seconds before he lowered his head to brush her lips with his own. 'I prefer to call it truthfulness.' He admitted once they had parted and he caressed her back with his hand.

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly before he took a step back from her and slipped his hand into hers. 'Come on, you. We're going to miss our reservation if we don't get going and I don't want to wait another moment to show you off.' Once he had leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek she allowed him to lead her out of his bedroom and along the corridor towards the staircase, the two of them descending them together before he led her out of the front door and over to his motor-car. 'I've wanted to do this for so long.' He sighed once they were in the car.

'So have I.' She admitted as she looked at him. 'Can we go out for dinner some nights when we're in Vienna?'

'If it means I get to see you wearing that dress again, then yes.' He smirked after starting the engine.

'Mmm…you like it, do you?' She allowed him to take one of her hands in his.

He lifted her hand to his lips before pressing a kiss onto the back of it. _'Like _is a bit of an understatement, darling.'

'I'll wear it every night if you would like me to.' She brushed her thumb against his.

'As long as you don't mind me being unable to keep my hands off of you.' He said as he drove through the gates.

She leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

'I don't mind at all.' She reassured him. 'Not in the slightest.'

The two of them then tightened their hold on one another's hand whilst he started to drive them in the direction of the restaurant.

* * *

'I think someone's getting tired.' Maria nuzzled further into Georg's neck when he whispered into her ear as they swayed from side-to-side together on the dance floor of the restaurant later that evening, her head cushioned on his shoulder as he had had one arm wrapped around her middle and the fingers on his spare hand were combing through her hair. 'Would you like to head back to the car so that we can drive to the hotel?' He inquired quietly.

She curled her fingers into the back of his jacket as she tilted her head back on his shoulder to meet his gaze. 'Can we leave after this song?' She stepped further into him before sighing when he pressed a kiss onto her forehead.

'I suppose so.' He teased. 'You're so beautiful when you're sleepy, you know.'

'Don't be soft.' She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.

He wasn't being soft though.

She really was so beautiful when she was sleepy. Her eyes were half-lidded and her cheeks held the softest blush. Since the two of them had started dancing one of her curls had fallen into her face and it was impossible for him to resist the urge to brush it back behind her ear. He let her snuggle further against him and when she buried her face in the side of his neck he turned his head to press his lips against her hairline. 'My love.' He sighed quietly.

'I love you.' She whispered before kissing his neck.

'I love you too.' He ran his hand over her hair.

It was a few minutes later when the string quartet that were playing the music finished their piece and the two of them left their embrace, Georg circling her waist with his arm before she snuggled into him and rested her head on his shoulder. He then led her back to their table before waiting for the waiter to come over and giving him the money for their meal. Once he had paid he offered his arm to Maria and allowed her to slide her arm through it before they started to venture over to the door that would take them out of the restaurant and out onto the street.

He knew that she was exhausted because she was quiet.

Most of the time, she never stopped talking.

As the two of them approached his car he felt her shiver against him and so he stopped them and slipped his arm from around her waist. He then slipped the buttons on the front of his jacket through their holes before shucking out of it and draping it around her shoulders. 'There,' He held the jacket closed around her whilst gazing into her eyes with a light smile, 'that should keep you a little warmer until we get you back to the motor-car, sweetheart.'

'Thank you.' She blessed him with a tired smile in return before he wrapped his arm back around her.

Once the two of them had started walking again it took them a few minutes to reach his car. He then pulled open the door for her before allowing her to slide into her seat and closing the door behind her. After walking around to his side of the car he opened the door and slipped into his own seat before starting the engine and reaching for her hand. 'I apologise for cutting our evening short,' She whispered to him, 'I didn't get a lot of sleep last night.'

'Never apologise to me.' He shook his head. 'I love you and I understand.'

She smiled with a squeeze of his hand when she turned to him. 'Come here and kiss me.' She instructed.

Without a moment's hesitation he leaned in and covered her mouth with his, the hand that wasn't on the steering wheel coming up to rest on the side of her neck whilst he kissed her. He sucked on her lower lip when he pulled back from her after a couple of minutes, her eyes remaining closed when he leaned his forehead against her own.

'Let's get you back to the hotel and into bed.' He told her. 'Then you'll be able to get some rest, mein schatz.'

'Alright.' She leaned forwards to kiss his lips once more before he leaned back in his seat and started to drive.

She did feel bad for being the one to bring their date to such an abrupt end, but knowing that Georg wasn't upset and that he understood made her feel a little better about it. He was always so loving and so patient with her.

There was no doubt in her mind that he was her soulmate.

That he was the one she was meant to be with.

If only…if only she could get her father to see that…

* * *

Georg ran his fingers back and forth across the flatness of Maria's stomach through her slip whilst he laid behind her in the darkness of their hotel room a little over an hour later, his lips leaving soft kisses on her shoulder and the side of her neck as she was caught in the clutches of slumber and was releasing quiet snores. She had allowed slumber to claim her just a few minutes after the two of them had climbed into bed, but he didn't mind. Yes, he had been looking forward to talking for a little while after reaching the hotel, but her health was more important.

He knew that there would be time for the two of them to talk in the morning because she hadn't asked her friend to tell her father when she would be returning home. The two of them could spend the whole morning in bed if they wanted to and then the whole afternoon would be theirs as well. He couldn't help but chuckle when a slight shiver coursed through her when he kissed behind her ear, a place that he had found out on their hack was one of her more sensitive spots, and he felt his love for her grow when she pressed herself further back into his chest.

She murmured in her sleep as she shifted beneath the quilt for a couple of seconds and there was a brief moment when he thought that she was going to wake up, but that fear left him when all she did was roll over and lie her head on his shoulder. Once she had settled down beside him she draped her arm over his stomach and burrowed into his neck, a huff of contentment leaving her when she hooked her leg over his hip and left a kiss to his neck. 'Goodnight, beautiful…' He whispered to her after turning his head to brush her hairline with the tip of his nose.

'Mmm…g'night, my love.' She mumbled before succumbing to the clutches of slumber once again.

Once she had fallen asleep he laid awake staring at the ceiling for a while, both of his arms around her middle in a tight embrace whilst she snored and sighed into his neck. Even though he had had such an amazing afternoon with her, he had been unable to stop thinking about how she had looked on his doorstep that morning. The sight of her so scratched and bruised and terrified had made him feel sick to his stomach and if he never saw her look like that again, it would be too soon. If he hadn't hated Hans with every fibre of his being before, he did now. He had pinned Maria down in a boat house and tried to make love to her. He had forced himself on her yet again!

Even though Maria had told him not to lose his temper, he knew he couldn't let this rest.

He wouldn't kill him – he knew that that wouldn't end well for either him or Maria – but he wasn't going to rest until he had hunted him down and made him pay for what he had done to her.

He had never felt the urge to be so protective over another human being before.

Perhaps that was because Maria was so unlike other human beings.

Most upper-class people were snobbish and wouldn't give others the time of day, but not her. She was so loving and compassionate to everyone she met and that was what had drawn her to him in the first place. He couldn't understand how anyone could want to hurt her. He couldn't understand how her father could be so awful to her.

One thing was for sure though.

He was always going to treat her like the beautiful, strong, incredible young woman he knew she was.

Always…

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading chapter four! I hope that you all enjoyed and that you'll leave me a review to let me know what you thought. Thanks and see you next time! :-) x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Happy reading :-)**

* * *

'If you could bring it up in about an hour that would be much appreciated.' Georg said whilst speaking to room service on the telephone the following morning, his gaze fixed on Maria as she continued to sleep in the bed in the centre of their hotel room. 'That's wonderful. Thank you, goodbye.' Once he had finished talking he set the receiver of the telephone back down before walking back over to the bed, lifting the quilt and slipping into bed beside Maria. Once he had settled down he reached out to give her face a stroke with the back of his forefinger.

He had slept better last night than he ever had before in his life. Ever since the war ended he had suffered from insomnia which meant that he found it hard to fall asleep and that he kept on waking up during the night, but last night – with Maria's warm weight in his arms and her breath beating against his neck – he had slept like a baby. When he had woken up that morning with her snuggled into his side, memories of their dinner date the night before had come racing back to him and had caused him to smile whilst holding her a little closer to him.

As he laid beside her and watched her sleep now, he couldn't believe that such a beautiful young woman would desire someone like him. He was almost twelve years her senior and he had more scars from the war covering him than he could count. There were dozens of young men closer to her age that longed to be with her, he had witnessed that first hand at the party her father had hosted. The men there had been practically drooling over her whilst ignoring the women they had attended the party with. He had hated how they had all looked at her.

They had looked at her as though she were a piece of meat rather than a person.

It had been clear to him that their constant staring had made her uncomfortable because she had forced herself to stare at the floor so that she didn't risk meeting their gaze. When he had seen Hans approach her he hadn't thought much of it, but when he had seen him pin her against the wall and take her face in his hands to make it impossible for her to turn her head, he had known that he had had to step in. His parents had always told him to have nothing but respect for women and when he saw men doing the total opposite of that it infuriated him.

That night was in the past now though and – like Maria had said last night – they just needed to move past it.

She sighed in her sleep after a few minutes and shifted into a more comfortable position underneath the covers, the love that he possessed for her deepening when she nuzzled into her pillow and a curl slipped into her face. Being as gentle as possible so not to wake her, he used his fingers to stroke the curl back behind her ear before pressing his lips to her brow. When he peeled back from her skin he chuckled at seeing her eyes half-lidded, a smile spreading across his lips when she reached up to cup his cheek in her hand. 'Morning.' She sighed gently.

'Morning.' He whispered before pressing his lips against hers. 'How did you sleep?'

'Better than I have in months.' She admitted. 'What about you?'

'Better than I have…ever.' He told her before rolling onto his back and opening his arms to her, Maria shifting into them without the slightest hesitation before she laid her head on his shoulder and let her fingers become lost in the hairs on his chest. 'Is there anything that you would like to do today, sweetheart?' He held her near.

She hummed in thought.

'For now, I just want to lie here with you.' She said whilst tangling her leg with his. 'But later on, if it's alright with you, I was hoping that we might go on a drive somewhere.' Georg smiled as he watched her eyes glisten.

'We could take a drive to Innsbruck.' He suggested. 'It would take us just over two hours to drive there.'

She smiled up at him. 'What would we do in Innsbruck?'

'Well, we can take a look in some shops and we can go to a little cafe that I know of.' He stroked her back.

'Would I be able to get a chain of some kind from a jewellery shop when we're there?' She asked him.

He looked at her for a second. 'You can, darling, but what do you want one for?'

'This.' She lifted the hand with her promise ring on it before he took it in his and left a kiss to the finger that it was sat on, the two of them lacing their fingers together when he laid it on his chest again. 'I won't be able to wear it on my finger when I'm at home because of father, but if I have a chain that I can put it on then it can be around my neck. I'll just have to hide it under the dresses I wear so that father can't see.' She gazed up at him.

'Have I ever told you how much I love you?' He smiled whilst stroking her hair with his free hand.

'Mmm…once or twice. I wouldn't mind being reminded of it though.' She teased.

The two of them chuckled together before he cupped her cheek beneath the curtain of her hair and allowed the pad of his thumb to caress her skin whilst he looked into her eyes. 'I love you.' He nuzzled her nose with his.

'And I love you.' She whispered. 'So much.'

She allowed him to capture her in a soft kiss a few minutes later, but when he started to peel back from her she laid her hand on the back of his neck and brought his lips firmer against hers. Her heart fluttered when he let out a chuckle into her mouth and she couldn't keep herself from smiling when his hand came to rest on her hip beneath the covers. 'Don't stop.' She shook her head as she spoke to him in-between slowly passionate kisses.

He ran his tongue along her lower lip in a silent plea for entrance after a few seconds before she parted her lips beneath his and allowed him to deepen their kiss. His tongue explored her mouth for a time before it met with hers, her fingers travelling up the back of his neck and into his hair whilst she rolled onto her back and brought him with her. Before long he was leaving kisses to her neck and jaw as he laid on top of her, both of his hands stroking her waist under the covers whilst she ran her fingers through his hair and released sighs of happiness.

After a few minutes his lips returned to hers and she allowed him to kiss her for several minutes before she laid her hands on his chest and pushed a little, her chest rising and falling rather heavily as she attempted to catch her breath whilst looking up into his eyes. 'What's the matter?' He asked as he continued to massage her sides.

'Nothing…' She shook her head.

'Darling, I know there's something.' He pressed a kiss to her forehead. 'Whatever it is, you can tell me.'

'I…I want you to…' She sighed.

'You want me to…?' He raised his brow at her.

She took a deep breath before saying: 'I want you to make love to me. I want you to…to make me yours.'

He moved from over her at her words before propping himself up on his elbow and looking down into her eyes whilst bringing his free hand to her face, her eyes falling closed as he stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers. 'What's brought this on?' He asked.

'I just thought that…that if I'm made to enter a courtship with Hans and if father forces me into marriage with him then I…I want to have been with you first. Even though I've never done anything like this before, I know that Hans won't be as gentle with me as you will. He doesn't care about me; all he wants from me is a child and you know that.' She said to him as tears sparkled in her eyes, Georg's heart sinking as he knew she was right.

'You really trust me that much?' He whispered.

'I do.' She smiled. 'I trust you with everything.'

He felt his heart swell with love for her and was unable to resist the urge to lean down to press a soft kiss onto her lips. 'You know that it will hurt for a couple of minutes, sweetheart, don't you?' He raised his brow at her.

'Yes, but I know that it won't be your fault and that you'll be as gentle with me as you can.' She replied.

'You're 100% sure you want this?' He traced her jawline.

'100%' She reassured him. 'I want to be yours.'

He moved over her again then before holding her face in his hands and kissing her. 'You'll _always_ be mine…'

He then pressed his lips back to hers and neither one of them spoke again for quite some time…

* * *

The feeling of his fingers drawing circles into the small of her back made her smile when she was settled in his arms a little while after lunchtime, her head cushioned on his shoulder as she had one leg wrapped around one of his and was trailing her foot along his calve whilst her fingers explored the dark hairs that layered his chest. The room service that the two of them had shared after their first round of lovemaking had been delicious. He had ordered coffee, semmeln with marmalade, cold cuts, fruit and many other things. He had spoiled her again.

Once he had finished feeding her the last of the strawberries he had pressed his mouth against hers in a perfect kiss and thus their second round of lovemaking had ensued. He had been as gentle and as patient with her the second time as he had been the first. The kisses that he had pressed to her lips had been slow and delicate and he had asked her multiple times throughout their lovemaking if she had been alright. Knowing that he loved her and cared about her so strongly made her heart swell. She wasn't used to receiving such treatment from a man.

Georg had lain down beside her and drawn her into his arms with a kiss to the top of her head in the aftermath of their lovemaking, hence how she now found herself snuggled into his side between the sheets. She laid with him in silence for a few minutes whilst listening to the birds singing outside before tilting her head back on his shoulder and brushing her lips against the line of his jaw. He turned his head towards her once she had kissed him there before grazing his nose against hers, her eyes closing as he did so. 'Are you alright?' He asked softly.

'I'm perfect.' She reassured him.

'Mmm…I can't disagree with that.' He teased before kissing the corner of her mouth. 'I didn't hurt you, did I?'

She shook her head on his shoulder before opening her eyes and gazing up at him. 'I'll admit that the first time hurt a little, but I knew that that would be the case. There was little pain the second time though.' She smiled.

'I just hope you don't live to regret it.' He ran the hand that was on her back along the length of her spine.

'I couldn't regret it.' She replied whilst snuggling further into him. 'Ever.'

He brought his free hand out from beneath the sheets to ease her hair back behind her shoulder as he smiled at her, his heart fit to burst with the love that it held for her when he ran the palm of his hand along the outside of her arm until he was able to slip it into her own. He still couldn't quite believe that this breath-taking young woman loved and trusted him enough to permit him to make love to her. She had trusted him with her heart and her body and he vowed to himself to never throw that back in her face. He adored her too much to do that.

'You are so beautiful.' He swept his thumb across her knuckles.

The softest pink blush rose in her cheeks as she smiled up at him. 'You're rather fetching yourself.'

The two of them shared a chuckle before she stretched up to kiss his lips.

Once she had lain her head back down on his shoulder she slipped her hand out of his and draped her arm over his stomach whilst snuggling further beneath the sheets when she started to feel a little cold. 'Would you still like to drive to Innsbruck?' She heard him ask after a time as his hand caressed her waist and he held her close.

'I would.' She nodded.

'Then I think we should consider getting out of bed.' He admitted before turning his head to kiss her forehead. 'The longer we leave it the less time we're going to have to spend together.' He heard her huff at the thought of having to leave his arms and the bed and couldn't help but chuckle. 'How about I run you a nice bath so that you can have a soak before we go? Would that cheer you up?' The smile that she gave him answered for her. 'You know I love you, don't you?' He raised his brow at her as he held her close to him for a few more minutes.

She brought her hand to his chest. 'I do. I love you too.'

The two of them then shared one last kiss before he removed his arms from around her middle and leaned over the side of the bed in order to retrieve his pyjama trousers. It took him seconds to pull them on and draw back the covers, he and Maria sharing a smile when he pulled them a little further over her and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. He then turned on his heel and headed in the direction of the en-suite, Maria snuggling under the sheets as she smiled once he had disappeared into the room. In her opinion, he was the definition of perfect.

He always took such good care of her and there was no doubt in her mind that – if he ever made her his bride – he would do the same then. The thought of one-day walking down the aisle towards him made her heart race inside her chest and her lips curve up into a smile. There was nothing on earth that she craved more than that.

There was nothing on earth that she craved more than to be Baroness von Trapp.

* * *

It was some time later when the two of them were sat together in a comfortable silence in his motor-car whilst he drove them both further away from Salzburg and closer to Innsbruck, her hand held in his in his lap whilst he kept his eyes focused on the road and she took in the sights. He had told her a few minutes ago that the two of them would be entering Innsbruck in about twenty minutes and she was unable to contain her excitement.

To most people it would probably seem odd that she was so excited to go to Innsbruck since it wasn't much to scream about, but in her nineteen years of life she had never stepped foot out of Salzburg and so it was like an adventure to her. She and Georg had been talking about the idea of marriage again earlier in their drive and he had told her that - once they were married – he was going to take her on a honeymoon trip around the world.

She couldn't wait to spend months travelling the world with him; to leave Salzburg and Hans and her father in the past and to start over again in Vienna as his wife and Baroness. The fact that she was itching to leave her own father in the past when she and Georg were wed broke her heart. She still had love for him – of course she did – but it seemed as though he no longer had love for her and so she didn't see the point in being near him.

There had been a time when he had told her that she was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. One of her earliest memories was of squealing as she ran into the arms of her mother whilst her father crawled after her in the sitting room when she had been around four. She could remember how he had dragged her into his embrace and tickled her to make her writhe and giggle whilst pressing quick kisses onto her face and neck.

She was too old for games like that now, obviously, but she wished that he still loved her like he had back then. All she wanted was to be able to sit with him in the sitting room in the evenings with his arm around her. She wanted him to be protective of her and listen to her like he should have done when she had gone to inform him of how Hans had tried to ravish her in the boat house. In all truthfulness, she just wanted her old father back.

When a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek she brought her free hand to her face in order to brush it off before Georg noticed. She then gave herself a second to compose herself and blink the tears that were in her eyes away before turning her head towards him. The two of them exchanged a smile when he took his eyes off of the road for a second to look at her, her lips pressing against his cheek when he turned back to the road.

She leaned her head against his shoulder after kissing his cheek and slipped the fingers of the hand that he was holding in his own through the gaps in his. As he continued to drive she nuzzled his neck and breathed in the scent of the cologne that he had used. The chuckle that he released told her that he had heard the gentle sound that she had made at the scent. 'I love the smell of your cologne.' She smiled into his neck before kissing him.

'Which is one of the reasons I wear it.' He replied as he gave her hand a squeeze. 'We're almost there now.'

'We are? How much longer do we have?' She asked whilst looking up at him.

'I'd say we have about…five to ten minutes or so.' He told her.

She hummed in response before rubbing her cheek against his shoulder and closing her eyes.

'_Rex admirabilis,_

_et triumphator nobilis,_

_dulcedo ineffabilis ineffabilis,_

_totus desiderabilis,_

_totus desiderabilis._

_Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia Alleluia.'_

She lifted her head off of Georg's shoulder as he drove them past a convent and her eyes lit up as she gazed out of the window at the building. 'Oh, I love the sound of Sisters singing.' She sighed after turning back to him.

'Are _you_ religious, Maria?' He asked as he took his eyes off of the road again to look at her.

'I am.' She nodded. 'Mother and father used to take me to church all the time when I was a little girl, but father stopped going when mother died and so I went alone. I have an aunt on mother's side – I'm named after her – who's a Sister at Nonnberg Abbey. Mother used to tell me that she thought that I got my clumsiness off of her because she was always falling over things. Everyone thought that she wasn't meant to be a nun, but she was.'

Georg smiled as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. 'I love learning new things about you.'

'You don't mind that I'm religious, then?' She raised her brow.

'Of course not.' He shook his head with a frown. 'If you want to believe in God, darling, believe in God.'

She sighed in relief. 'Most of the men I know think I'm stupid for believing in him.'

'Not me.' He reassured her. 'I love you for who you are, Maria, whether you're religious or not.'

She rested her head on his shoulder again before kissing the side of his neck. 'Are you religious, Georg?'

'No, I wouldn't say I am,' He admitted to her after a few seconds, 'but if you ever want me to accompany you to church so that you don't have to go alone, just let me know.' She rested her free hand on the front of his chest.

'You would do that? You would come to church with me even though you don't believe in God?' She asked.

He swept his thumb across her knuckles. 'I would. I'd do anything to see you smile.'

'Can you pull over for a minute, please, so I can kiss you?' She asked, the two of them laughing as he did so.

Once he had stopped the car he turned to her and she laid her hands on his shoulders, his hands coming to rest on her waist through her blouse before she caught his lips with hers in a long kiss. 'I love you.' She murmured between kisses as she swept her thumbs against the sides of his neck, his lips soft against hers as he kissed her.

'I love you too.' He massaged her waist through her blouse.

The two of them dragged their kisses out for as long as possible until the urge to breathe forced them to bring them to an end, Maria leaning her forehead against his own as she tried to catch her breath and he held her to him whilst he did the same. 'I wish that father was able to see how much we love each other and how good you make me feel about myself. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with Hans, Georg, I want to be with you.'

'I want that too, sweetheart,' He replied, 'and we're going to have that at some point, I swear.'

'When?' She whispered.

He moved one hand to her back in order to stroke it. 'I'm not sure just yet.' He sighed.

'Have you come up with an idea of how you're going to get me out of that hack on Friday?' She asked him.

'I don't think I'm going to be able to get you out of it, darling, because as you said your father will just move it to another date if you don't go.' He saw a flash of dread in her eyes but was quick to comfort her with a kiss to her forehead and a stroke of her cheek. 'What I _am_ going to do, however, is follow the two of you. If Hans tries anything then I'll be there to intervene and trust me, I'll beat the life out of him if he so much as touches you.'

She looked into his eyes for a moment. 'Just don't do anything stupid. I couldn't bear to lose you, Georg.'

'I'm not an idiot.' He brushed her hair out of her face. 'I'll be careful, I promise.'

After nodding she laced her arms around his neck and brought him to her for another kiss, deep sighs escaping both of them when they peeled back from each other. 'Thank you.' She whimpered as she held him near to her.

He nudged his nose against hers in an affectionate manner. 'You're welcome.'

* * *

After taking another sip of champagne when he was sat in the back seat of his car with Maria a couple of hours later, Georg turned his head in her direction before smiling when he saw that she had fallen asleep against his chest. He had thought that she had gone a little too quiet. She was slumbering with her head resting in the dip between his neck and shoulder, her eyelashes beating against her cheeks whilst she snored and sighed gently.

He had known that she had felt tired when she had agreed to take the short drive to Tirol with him so that the two of them could watch the sun set behind the Karwendel Alps, but when he had asked her if she had wanted him to start driving them back to Salzburg instead she had refused. She had wanted them both to spend a little more time together before going home and he hadn't had the heart to refuse her. He cherished being near her.

She had managed to keep herself awake long enough for them to travel to the clearing and to slip into the back seat, but she must have drifted off as soon as he had draped his jacket around her shoulders and she had rested her head on his chest because he hadn't heard a peep from her since then. He didn't blame her one bit for being tired. The two of them had done quite a lot of shopping earlier that afternoon and he was rather tired himself.

When he had insisted that she allowed him to purchase the chain for her promise ring for her she had tried her hardest to stop him, but when he hadn't backed down she had admitted defeat and allowed him to purchase it for her. Of course, she had chosen the cheapest one available to keep him from going overboard again. Once he had studied Maria's face whilst she snoozed for a few more minutes his gaze drifted to the ring on her finger.

It had been rather simple to purchase the perfect ring for her. He knew that she wasn't too fond of ostentatious things and so he hadn't even bothered to look at the flashier rings that had been in the store's display cabinets. When the gold band with the diamond in the centre had caught his attention he had been certain that that had been the one and, when he had presented it to Maria, her smile had told him that he had made the right choice.

She murmured in her sleep after a while and snuggled further into his side before grazing his neck with the tip of her nose and shivering when his jacket fell from around her shoulders. Not wanting her to get cold, Georg reached around her and brought the jacket back around her shoulders before holding it in place and giving her a kiss on the brow. He despised knowing that he was going to have to wake her up soon and drive her home.

When she was with him he could see to it that she was shown love and looked after, but when she was at home he was incapable of doing either of those things. She wasn't safe at home. The events of the previous morning told him that. The one place that she was safe was with him and he wished that he never had to let her go back to her father. He knew, however, that one day she would be his and he would never be parted from her again.

That was what was going to help him move forward.

After sitting in silence with her for a little while longer he knew that he needed to wake her up and so he lifted his free hand to her face before running the backs of his fingers down her cheek a few times. 'Come on, you…' He whispered, 'it's time for me to drive you home.' Maria made a sound of disapproval in the back of her throat as she came out of her slumber, Georg smiling down at her when her eyes flitted open and she looked at him.

'I don't want you to drive me home.' She shook her head. 'Can't I stay with you for one more night?'

'Do you think that Hanna will cover for you again?' He raised his brow at her whilst stroking her hair.

'I know she will.' She nodded. 'I…I've been telling her about the two of us and she's so pleased I have you.'

He smiled as he held her close. 'Alright. Let's get you back to mine and into bed, shall we?'

'Yes please.' She sighed. 'I love you, Georg.'

'I love you too, Maria.' He pressed his mouth gingerly against hers. 'So much.'

* * *

When he came out of the en-suite after showering that evening, Georg smiled as his gaze landed on his bed and he saw that Maria was sound asleep on her stomach under the covers with her arm hanging over the side and her nose buried in her pillow. Before he had gone for his shower she had said to him that she would stay awake so that the two of them could talk for a while before going to sleep, but he had known – since she had been so tired – that she would be sound asleep before he had even stepped out of the shower. As usual, he was right.

He walked over to the bed after wiping the last droplets of water off of the back of his neck with his towel and hanging it over the chair near the en-suite, the bed dipping under his weight when he sat down on the edge of it and reached out to run the back of his index finger down Maria's cheek. He was certain that he'd never seen a woman as perfect as her in all his life. Her skin was so smooth and her hair was so soft to the touch, but her heart was the most beautiful thing about her. There wasn't a bad bone in her body. That, he was certain about.

Once he had watched her sleep for a little while he turned down the oil lamp on the nightstand next to her and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, his heart swelling when he drew back from her and saw her lips curl up into a little smile in her sleep. She was adorable. He then got up from the side of the bed before going up to the window and closing the drapes, the bedroom growing a little bit darker as he did so before he turned around.

He pulled back the covers after walking back over to the bed and slid into bed behind her before turning down the oil lamp on his own nightstand and lying down. His arm wrapped itself around her once he had managed to get comfortable and he left a kiss to the back of her shoulder before snuggling against her. 'Pleasant dreams, my sweet one.' He whispered in her ear before resting his chin on her shoulder and settling down behind her.

It didn't take him long to drift off with her safe in his arms after that, the sound of her contented sighs and soft breaths along with her warm body pressed snugly against his own sending him off into a blissful slumber.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter of practically just fluff and that you'll all come back to read chapter 6 when it's up :) Thank you all for reading and please review to let me know what you thought! See you all next time x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I know that I only put chapter 5 up yesterday but I got this finished at midnight and was so eager to put it up! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter :)**

* * *

Maria sighed as she stroked a strand of hair that had come loose from her French braid back behind her ear whilst entering the stables at the stable-yard late that Friday morning. She had told Hans to wait out in the paddock with Eclipse and Spirit, the horse that he would be riding, whilst she went to collect the things she needed. In all honesty, she had wanted to wait until his back was turned and then walk home, but the last thing she wanted was another lecture from her father and so she knew she had to go on the hack with him.

She had been hoping that Georg would be at the stable-yard just after her. Her nerves – along with her fear of Hans assaulting her again – worsened with every minute she couldn't see him. In a little while, Hans was going to be telling her that it was time for them to go on their hack and she hadn't the first idea of how she was going to stall him if Georg didn't arrive in time. As she took the saddle off of the saddle rack she felt a pair of arms wind around her waist from behind, causing her to freeze and gasp as she dropped the saddle.

When she was able to smell his cologne and when he shushed her whilst pulling her back into his chest, she knew that the man holding her was Georg and not Hans and so she allowed herself to relax in his arms and leant her head back against his shoulder. She covered his large hands with her smaller ones on her stomach through her blouse before lacing her fingers with his and turning her head in his direction, her eyes closing of their own accord when he dipped his head slightly to kiss her. 'I didn't mean to scare you.' He said to her.

'No, I know you didn't.' She shook her head whilst looking up into his eyes. 'I'm just a little on edge today.'

He nodded in understanding. 'I know you are, sweetheart, but you're going to be fine. I'm going to be right behind the two of you at all times and I am not going to let him lay a hand on you, I promise. All I want you to do is focus on your riding and don't look back at me. If you look back at me then Hans might look back at me as well and I don't want to make things worse for you.' Maria nodded as she offered him a small smile.

'I won't, Georg, I swear.' She stroked his knuckles with her thumbs.

'Good.' He grazed her nose with his. 'Now, might I say that you look gorgeous in your riding uniform?'

His flirting coaxed a giggle out of her. 'You may.'

She allowed him to turn her in his arms before she rested her hands on his chest and he brought his own to rest on her waist beneath her riding jacket. 'You know that I'm proud of you, Maria, don't you?' He cocked his head to one side as he looked into her eyes. 'You've been put through so much over the last month, but you've stayed so strong and I can't put into words how honoured I feel to have you for my suitor, darling.'

'I wouldn't have gotten through it without you.' She replied as she ran her hands over the front of his chest before taking hold of the lapels of his jacket and taking a step closer to him. 'If you had never come over to me on the night of that party then we never would have had this and I wouldn't have had anyone to turn to when Hans tried to…' She still couldn't quite bring herself to talk about what had happened, 'you know…'

Georg brought one of his hands to her face to stroke her cheek.

'You mean the world to me, Georg, and I am _so_ thankful for you.'

'The feeling is mutual.' He smiled before taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger. 'Can I kiss you?'

She blushed as she gazed into his eyes. 'You know that you never have to ask.'

Using the hand that was still on her waist to draw her flush against him he lowered his head and caught her lower lip in a soft kiss, the hand that was on her chin moving to her cheek before he stroked the baby hairs at the side of her head with his thumb. The two of them exchanged soft and languid kisses for the next few minutes before she heard the sound of footsteps approaching and walked backwards towards the wall so that she and Georg were out of sight. 'Maria, what on earth is taking you so long?' They heard Hans inquire.

After placing her finger to her lips to signal to Georg to be quiet she took a deep breath and said: 'I couldn't find Eclipse's bridle. I have it now though, so if you head back to the horses I'll be out to you in a moment.'

'Make sure you are.' He replied rather icily. 'You've wasted enough of my time as it is.'

Once his footsteps had receded she looked up into Georg's eyes again and let out a sigh as his eyes told her that he was annoyed at how Hans had talked to her. 'He needs to learn how to talk to a Lady.' He scowled.

'I agree that he needs to work on…well, I was about to say his manners but in all honesty he needs to work on his entire personality.' She admitted as she wrapped her arms around his middle and drew him close to her. 'I know that Hans works your last nerve, darling, but will you please at least _try_ and stay calm? For me?'

'Alright,' He grumbled whilst pressing his forehead against hers. 'but if he insults you or treats you like dirt I won't be held responsible for my actions or my tongue.' Maria curled her fingers into his jacket with a sigh.

'Knowing that you're going to try is good enough for me.' She told him. 'Now kiss me again before we go.'

He gave her nose a nudge with his before pressing his lips to hers in a slow yet chaste kiss, the two of them parting with a smack a few seconds later before she removed her arms from around his middle. 'Wait five minutes so that we have a head start and then come after us and please, darling, be as discreet as you can.'

'Alright.' He pressed a firm kiss onto her forehead. 'You be careful, okay?'

'I will.' She reassured him before picking up the saddle from the ground. 'I love you.'

He stooped to kiss her once more. 'I love you too.'

The two of them then shared a loving smile before she reached for Eclipse's bridle, slipped out of the space between him and the wall of the stables and walked through the door. As Georg watched her walk further away from him and closer to Hans who was standing near the paddock, his heart pounded within his chest. Time and time again he had told Maria that she was the strongest woman he had ever seen and each time he had told her that he had meant it, but even though she was strong emotionally she was small physically.

In comparison to Hans she was so tiny and he knew that Hans would be able to overpower her in seconds flat if he wanted to. Yes, he would be following the two of them and so – if he tried anything – he would be able to march right up to Hans and confront him, but that also meant that if Hans turned on her he would have to see Maria suffer. That was the last thing he ever wished to see, but he knew there was a possibility. He would just have to be extra vigilant and step in the second he saw Hans eyeing Maria the wrong way.

She had been attacked by him once and he would have to be dead before he allowed that to happen again.

It was his responsibility to protect her and from now on he was going to honour that.

With all his heart.

* * *

It was a short while later when Maria and Hans were on their hack, the two of them sat in silence whilst the horses walked at a slow pace down the woodland trail and Maria was lost in her thoughts. She knew that, as he had promised, Georg was following them as she felt somewhat relaxed and could sense his presence. Since the two of them had left the stable-yard with the horses, Hans hadn't said much to her at all. He had just commented on how it was rather warm for a November morning and had inquired about how she was.

She knew that he didn't care in the slightest about how she was feeling.

He had just been trying to break the tension between them and it hadn't worked.

As Eclipse continued to walk down the trail she gave him a scratch behind the ears and smiled. She had had a feeling that the hack would be a long one and so she had arrived at the stable-yard early with a couple of treats for him. He had just accepted the carrots when she had fed them to him, but when she had offered a sugar cube to him his happiness had been evident to her. Even though he was just a horse to most people, to her he was a friend and she loved him more than she could put into words. Her love for him was almost as deep as her love was for Georg if that was even possible. 'I think we should stop here for a while so that these two can have a rest and get some water from that stream down there.' Hans' voice made her jump.

She turned her head in the direction that he was looking in and felt her heart sink. He wanted them both to stop in the exact same place that she and Georg had stopped when she had joined him for his hack on the previous Saturday. When she turned back to him she was prepared to tell him that she wanted to continue on for a while, but then she remembered how he had smacked her when she had voiced her own opinion the last time. 'Alright, let's stop here for a few minutes.' She agreed before giving Eclipse's mane a stroke.

When Hans dismounted his horse and walked around to her in order to help her to dismount, she gave him a slight glare. 'There's one thing you should know about me.' She told him after getting down from Eclipse herself. 'I don't intend to sound rude, but I'm not a princess. I don't require a man to do everything for me.'

'Well, excuse me for trying to be a gentleman.' Hans scoffed.

Maria was taken aback for a moment. 'It's a little late for that, don't you think?'

'I'm afraid I don't know what you mean.' He replied as he looked at her.

If she didn't feel so frustrated with him she would have laughed. 'Oh, don't you? I guess forcing me into the boat house and then throwing me against the wall and forcing yourself on me must've slipped your mind.'

'Oh, you exaggerate.' He rolled his eyes.

'I do _not e_xaggerate!' She retorted. 'I still have the scratches and the bruises!'

When he took a step closer to her she fell silent and her gaze fell to the floor on instinct as he stared at her. 'I would watch that tone of yours, Maria. It might end up getting you into a little spot of bother someday.' His voice was low and dangerous and it scared her a little, she would admit that, but then she remembered that Georg was watching from a short distance away and that he would step in if Hans slapped her again.

To her relief, Hans took a step back from her after a couple of seconds which enabled her to grasp Eclipse's reins in her hand and begin to walk him down to the stream so that he could have a drink. She didn't want to stand next to Hans whilst the horses drank and so she left a little space between them before coming to a stop so that Eclipse could lower his head and drink from the stream. She just wanted to ride home now.

Her mind wandered as she stood next to Eclipse whilst he drank, but her thoughts shattered and her heart stopped when she felt a pair of arms slip around her waist. This time, she knew that she wasn't in Georg's arms and she knew that there would be no soft kiss when she turned her head to look at the man standing behind her. The man holding her was Hans and she knew that she was trapped in his arms until he let go.

'I want this to work, Maria.' She heard him whisper to her as she was frozen in fear. 'I want us to be happy.'

'Please let go of me.' She shook her head.

'I want to be a good suitor to you and a good husband in the future,' He ignored her, 'but if our relationship is going to work you need to start showing me some respect. I need to be sure that you'll be a good wife.'

She tried to prise his arms from around her but he just tightened his hold of her. 'I could learn to love you, I guess,' She felt him kiss her jaw, 'but not until you learn your place and know when and when not to talk.'

He turned her to face him a few seconds later and when she saw him look down at her lips she realised that he was going to kiss her. She placed her hands on his chest in an attempt to prevent him from pressing his lips against hers, but he was much too strong for her and so she was unable to keep him at arm's length. As he kissed her she continued to try and create some space between them, her fear intensifying with every second that Georg didn't come and rip him off of her. _'Please!' _She pleaded in her head. _'Please, Georg, see!'_

She opened her eyes for a split second after that and that split second caused relief to course through her veins as she saw Georg storming over to the two of them. The next few seconds passed in a complete blur. At first she was standing in front of Hans and Georg as Georg pulled him off of her and then she was in the stream, her hands stinging as she had scraped them on some stones when she had fallen backwards into it.

Through tear-filled eyes she watched Georg shake Hans by the lapels, much like he had done at her father's party, but she was unable to hear much of what he was barking at him because of the blood rushing in her ears. The next thing she knew, Hans had freed himself from Georg's hold and was marching back up the hill with Spirit whilst Georg approached her. 'Oh, darling, are you alright?' He asked when he knelt before her.

'I…I think so.' She stammered as the tears ran down her cheeks.

'Let's get you out of there.' He told her gently before taking one of her hands in his, lying his other hand on her back and aiding her in standing up. Once she was on the grass again he helped her to sit herself down before sitting down beside her and wiping the tears off of her cheeks. 'Let me see your hands, sweetheart.'

She lifted her trembling hands out of her lap before turning them both over so that they were palm-up, the tears continuing to scroll down her cheeks as he inspected them. Her left hand had a few minor scrapes to it, but there was quite a deep cut on her right hand. He knew that stitches wouldn't be required for her cut, however, and that all he needed to do was stem the bleed and bandage her hand up as soon as he could.

After releasing both of her hands he reached up to untie his tie before pulling it from around his neck. 'Give me your right hand, Maria.' He instructed as he looked into her eyes before she did as she was told and he returned her hand to the stream for a second, moved it back and forth to let the water was the blood away and brought her hand back to his lap. 'This is going to hurt a little, darling, but I swear that I'll be as gentle as I can be.' Maria gave him a tearful nod in response before he began to tie his tie around the bloody gash.

He grimaced inwardly when she hissed in pain as he tied his tie into a double-knot so that extra pressure to the wound would be applied, a sigh escaping him when he looked at her again and rested his hand on her cheek. 'I would have gotten to you sooner, Maria, but the blasted horse got spooked and I got distracted.'

'This is _not_ your fault.' She sniffed. 'Things would've ended a lot worse if you hadn't had been here, Georg.'

He gave her a small smile before leaning in to kiss her lips. 'Aside from your hands…you're not hurt?'

'No, I'm just soaking wet and freezing.' She replied with something along the lines of a giggle in her voice.

The sound of Eclipse snorting from a short distance behind her caught her attention and when she glanced over her shoulder at him she released a sigh at the fear she saw in his eyes. With a wince as she used both of her hands to push herself up from the ground, Maria got to her feet before walking up to the stallion. He looked at her with wide eyes as she placed her less injured hand on his neck and began to give it a stroke, Maria smiling when she saw that the attention that she was giving him was beginning to help him to settle.

'I'm alright.' She whispered before giving his neck a kiss. 'I promise.'

When she pressed her lips to his neck again she felt Georg rest his hand on her lower back through her wet jacket, the two of them sharing a smile when she lifted her head and met his gaze. 'Is he alright?' He asked.

'He is.' She nodded. 'I think he just got a little startled when I fell into the stream.'

The two of them stood in silence together for a few seconds before Georg felt Maria shiver under his hand. 'We need to get you home before you come down with the flu.' He murmured into her hair after pressing his lips to the side of her head. 'You need a warm bath and you need to climb into bed and get some sleep.'

'I suppose spending the night at yours is out of the question.' She sighed as she looked up into his eyes.

'I would love to have you spend the night at mine; you know that, but your father is going to get suspicious if Hanna keeps on covering for you. Besides, we wouldn't be getting much talking done if you stayed over because I would be telling you to get some sleep.' He told her as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, Maria smirking up at him before he lowered his head to press his lips against hers in a warm kiss. 'Promise me that when you get back you'll get some rest? I don't want you to come down with something.'

'I promise,' She snuggled into him, 'doctor von Trapp.'

The two of them chuckled at her teasing before he gave her a loving squeeze.

'I love you.' He shook his head in slight disbelief that she was truly his.

'And I love you.' She reassured him. 'More than you will ever know.'

He then walked over to where he had tied his horse to one of the trees whilst she set about climbing back onto Eclipse, the two of them sharing a kiss once she had gotten Eclipse to walk up the hill to him before they both began to venture back in the direction of the stable-yard.

As he and Maria rode together in a comfortable silence, Georg sighed. The morning hadn't gone as well as he had hoped that it would, but the main thing was that Maria was safe. He dreaded to think about what Hans would have done to her if he hadn't had been there to pull him off of her. He dreaded to think about the state that he'd have left her in. Seeing her scratched and bruised on his doorstep had been enough.

When Maria turned her head in his direction and blessed him with a beautiful smile he realised that instead of focusing on what c_ould _have happened to her, he should really be focusing on the fact that she wasn't too hurt and that Hans hadn't taken advantage of her. She was alright and she still had a smile on her face.

He had told her earlier that morning that he was proud of her and he had meant it.

She made him prouder of her with each little thing she did and he knew that that would never change.

Because she was incredible.

* * *

Maria made a gentle sound of discontentment in the back of her throat when she started to rouse from her slumber. After shifting into a more comfortable position beneath her quilt her eyes flickered open and she pushed several strands of her hair back behind her ear. She looked in the direction of her bedroom window after yawning and settling down again, but instead of seeing the late afternoon sun she had imagined she would see, she saw the moon and stars. She had slept the whole afternoon and most of the evening away!

She reached for the small clock that she kept on her nightstand in order to see what time it was and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw that it was ten-to-ten. Even though she was a little disheartened that she had spent all afternoon sleeping, the thought of speaking to Georg on the telephone caused her lips to curl up into a smile. Not wanting to waste a minute of the time that she had to talk to him, she pushed herself up into a sitting position before pulling back the covers and getting out of bed whilst stretching somewhat.

After pulling on her dressing gown she made her bed again in advance to going over to the bedroom door, slipping out of her bedroom and onto the corridor and closing the door behind herself. She then, as she did most nights, tiptoed down the corridor and down the stairs before hurrying through the foyer to the study that her father owned. When she reached the door she turned the doorknob but instead of opening for her as it usually did, the door remained locked. _'That's odd…' _She thought to herself, _'He never locks the door.'_

'Going for another one of your late night chats with Captain von Trapp, were you?' A sharp gasp came from her when she turned in place at the sound of her father's voice, her heart starting to pound in her chest as she watched him walk down the staircase. 'Yes, you'll find that a little difficult from now on since when I go up to bed I'll be locking the door after me.' He looked her in the eye after coming to a stop in front of her. 'You would think that by now, at the age of _nineteen,_ you would have learned that I hate to be disobeyed.'

She lowered her gaze to his chest as she couldn't bear to see the anger and disappointment in his eyes.

He hooked his finger beneath her chin and lifted her head so that she looked into his eyes again, however, before stroking her cheek with the back of his index finger. 'I know that, in your eyes, the Captain can do no wrong, my dear girl, but that is far from the truth. All that he's good at is breaking the hearts of women and leaving them to pick up the pieces.' Maria shook her head at him as gentle tears burned in her eyes.

'No,' She sniffed, 'you're wrong. Georg loves me, father, but you just don't see that.'

'Because I know what kind of a man he is.' He replied. 'I don't want to see you get hurt, Maria.'

She glared at him. 'Don't give me that. I came to you for comfort and to let you know that Hans had forced himself on me the other day and all you did was blame me and tell me that I'm an embarrassment to you!'

'I made an error in my judgement which is why, this afternoon, I gave Hans his marching orders.' He sighed.

Relief flooded her veins. 'You…you did?'

'I won't have him dragging our name through the mud.' He hissed. 'There are many other men out there.'

'But father, I…I don't want one of those men. I just want Georg.' The tears caught in her throat.

Werner took a step closer to her before running a hand over her hair. 'I'm your father and so I know what is best for you. I believe that it's in your best interest to stop this ridiculous relationship with him now before he has the chance to break your heart. He's stringing you along, Maria, just like he strings all women along.'

'Have you ever thought, father, that maybe – just once – you're wrong?' She raised her brow at him.

'Maria, I am never wrong.' He told her. 'I want you to end things with the Captain as soon as possible.'

She folded her arms across her chest. 'And if I don't?' She asked.

'If you don't, you will never leave this villa unsupervised again.' He said. 'Whenever you go out – whether it is because you need to run an errand or you're seeing friends – Amelie will go with you and she will speak with me at the end of the day about what you did when you were gone. Is that something that you want?'

She was silent for a time as she looked at his chest before she met his gaze again. 'No,' She shook her head, 'it's not something that I want, father, but I won't give Georg up. He loves me and love him just as much.'

'There's no getting through to you, is there?' He grumbled.

'I'm not a baby anymore.' She whispered. 'I'm old enough to make decisions for myself now.'

He looked at her in silence for a moment. 'Let me make one thing crystal clear to you. Whilst you are here, living under this roof, _I _make the decisions. I am the head of this household and I am your father and until you leave this house you will obey the orders that I give you. Do you understand me, Maria?' He asked her.

'Yes, father,' She nodded as she knew he wasn't going to back down, 'I understand.'

'Good.' He said. 'Now go back to bed. I'll give you one week to come to a decision on what you're going to do about the Captain and if you don't come to the right decision I'll be taking matters into my own hands.'

'What do you mean by…'

'Bed, Maria.' He told her again before kissing her temple. 'Don't make me tell you again.'

She felt her heart shatter into thousands of pieces within her chest. 'Goodnight, father.' Her voice cracked due to the tears that were clawing her way up her throat before she stepped past him and made her way over to the staircase, the tears beginning to run down her cheeks as she walked along the corridor that led to her bedroom.

Once she had opened the door and stepped inside the room she slammed it closed after her, raced over to her bed, threw herself down on it and muffled her sobs into her pillow.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading chapter six and I hope you enjoyed. I don't know if some parts seemed a little rushed, but if they did I apologise. I'm a little out of practice with writing since I haven't been able to do much of it over the past week. I hope that you will leave me a review to let me know what you thought :) See you all in the next chapter! x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: I hope that this chapter is as good as the last few and I hope that it flows alright, but if it doesn't that's because I wrote it a little out of order and I apologise if it isn't the best. I do hope that you enjoy this chapter though :) Happy reading, all! x**

* * *

As she stood out on the garden terrace at the back of her villa with a cup of coffee in her hands a couple of days later, a troubled sigh escaped Maria's lips. Ever since her father had told her to bring her relationship with Georg to an end or he would be intervening, she hadn't known what to do. She loved Georg more than anything else on earth and to bring their relationship to an end was the last thing that she wanted, but she was terrified about what her father would do.

He wouldn't kill him. That much she knew.

She knew that he wouldn't risk being hung for Georg and that brought her some comfort she supposed, but that didn't mean that he couldn't make him disappear or make it impossible for the two of them to see each other. He could ask one of the servants to monitor each move she made and prevent her from leaving the villa. The thought of never being able to see Georg again broke her heart, but so did the thought of ruining what the two of them had built together.

Her father couldn't see how deeply she and Georg loved each other or how beautiful he made her feel when the two of them were together and she just couldn't understand why. When she was with Georg she was at her happiest and she knew that – whenever she snuck back in after being with him – her father was able to tell that she was feeling ecstatic. She knew that he didn't trust Georg, but she did and she felt like – now she was almost an adult – he should back off.

She knew that Georg was a good man and that he loved her just as much as she loved him. She knew that there wasn't a bad bone in his body and that he would never be violent towards her like most of the men her father had set her up with in the past had been. He wanted her to be his wife. He wanted her to bear his children and he wouldn't want that if he didn't love her with all his heart. She longed for her father to see that the love that he had for her was genuine.

However, she knew that there wasn't much chance of that happening.

'_Perhaps,' _She thought to herself after taking a sip of her coffee, _'I could talk to Amelie. She usually knows what to do.'_

She decided then that that was the best course of action and so, after finishing her coffee, she turned around in order to walk back inside the villa and go in search of her maid.

* * *

Once she had re-entered the villa she set her now drained teacup down on the table and started to approach the stairs, but before she could begin to descend them the call of: 'Milady?' reached her ears. She turned in place at the sound of Johannes' voice before offering him a smile as she watched him make his way over to her. Once he had stopped before her he held out the envelope that was in his hand. 'This just arrived for you in the afternoon post.' He informed her.

'Thank you, Johannes.' She nodded whilst accepting the envelope from him.

The butler nodded in response before turning on his heel and walking back towards the door that led down to the staff quarters, Maria's heart fluttering and her eyes lighting up when she turned the envelope over and saw that Georg was the sender. Not wanting to wait another moment before reading the letter from him, she walked in the direction of the sitting room before entering and walking over to the settee. She then sat down and used her nail to open the letter.

Once she had unfolded the letter and saw her name, she smiled to herself and began to read the words on the page.

_Maria,_

_I was unsure of how I was going to tell you this in person and so I decided to write you instead. I've been doing a lot of thinking since we were last together and I've come to the conclusion that you're not the right woman for me. When we went out to dine and I took you to that hotel last week, I did that so that I could get an idea of what our week in Vienna would have been like and I hated every minute of it. You were still fragile due to what Hans did to you and so I didn't say anything, but now I feel like I have to._

_Nothing from that night meant anything to me. In all honesty, I was counting down the hours until I could drive you home. When you asked me if you could stay with me again that night and I asked if Hanna would cover for you a second time, I was hoping that you would tell me that she wouldn't so that I'd be free of you. What I'm trying to say, Maria, is that I've realised that I'm not as in love with you as I thought I was. I've realised that I was never in love with you to begin with._

_I just needed some female company after the war and you were happy to give me that._

_I think it goes without saying that our week in Vienna is off._

_Auf wiedersehen, Maria._

_Georg v.T_

As she held the letter in her shaking hands she was unable to prevent the tears from streaming down her cheeks. She wanted to believe that Georg hadn't been the one to send the letter to her and that all of this was just some horrid joke to hurt her, but he must have been the one to do so because she had told no-one about their night in that hotel or how she had given herself to him the next morning. How on earth could he be so horrid to her? When she had gone to him after Hans had tried to assault her in the boat house, had he actually cared or had he just pretended to do so to continue with his little act? She couldn't be certain.

Whenever he had told her that he had loved her his words had sounded so sincere.

Whenever he had kissed or touched her he had been so gentle and she had loved every moment of it.

She had thought that he was different to other men. She had thought that, for the first time, she had met a man who cared about her and loved her for who she was instead of what he could get out of her. Now she knew that a man like that didn't exist. All men were the same and she would never believe otherwise again. After setting the letter down in her lap and palming the tears off of her cheeks she got up from the settee, walked over to the fireplace, ripped up Georg's letter and threw the pieces into the dancing flames to burn. She watched the fire engulf the paper in silence for a time before she heard the sound of gentle footsteps.

'Maria?' She turned her head in her father's direction at the sound of his voice but tears blurred her vision.

'You were right, father…' She told him with a sigh, 'all that Captain von Trapp is good at is breaking hearts.'

A couple of silent seconds passed as the two of them looked at one another before Werner started to walk over to her. When he opened his arms to her she hesitated to step into them for a moment, but when she was unable to hold her tears back any longer she wrapped her arms around his middle and laid her head on his chest. 'Everything is going to be alright, darling.' She heard him tell her before he gave her head a kiss.

'I thought he loved me, father!' She sobbed. 'I…I thought that…that he was different!'

Werner released shushes into her hair as he held her close to him. 'I know…I know you did.' He whispered.

'I should have listened to you.' She sniffed as she lifted her head off of his chest. 'I promise I will next time.'

'Good girl.' He wiped the tears from his daughter's cheeks with his fingers.

'Will you hold me?' She asked him. 'Just for a little while?'

He nodded before taking one of her hands in his, lifting it to his lips and pressing a kiss onto the back of her palm. 'Of course I will.' He then led her back over to the settee that she had been sitting on earlier before lowering himself down onto it, Maria sniffling through her tears as he laid his hands on her waist and eased her down into his lap. Once she had gotten comfortable in his arms she snuggled into him and rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed as she buried her face in his neck and breathed in his scent.

'I love you, father.' She whispered to him.

'I love you too, Maria.' He ran a hand over her hair.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence for a time after that and when Werner heard Maria's snores he realised that she had fallen asleep against his chest. He continued to stroke her hair whilst she slept and the slightest smile appeared on his lips when he noticed just how incredibly she resembled her late mother, but before he could think about it too much he could hear the sound of heels clicking over the foyer floor.

'Was the Captain home?' He asked when the maid entered the room.

'He was.' She nodded, her voice soft so that she didn't disturb her Mistress from her slumber.

'What did you say to him?' He raised his brow.

'I told him that Maria asked me to tell him that she wants nothing to do with him anymore.' She revealed to him. 'He asked me what the reason for that was and if he had done anything wrong, but I just told him that I didn't know.' She and Werner shared a smile before he shushed Maria when she began to stir against him.

'Well done, Amelie.' He whispered. 'Now come here.'

She crossed the room towards him before sitting down in the vacant space beside him on the settee, a soft smile appearing on her lips when he brought his free hand to her cheek and brushed his thumb against her skin. 'I think you've earned yourself the rest of the afternoon off.' He admitted as he played with the brown strands of hair that had come loose from her tight bun, Amelie's smile growing as she settled against him.

'That's kind of you.' She whispered whilst gazing into his eyes.

'You need your rest.' He told her. 'I don't want anything happening to you or our little one.'

She laid her hand on her stomach through her uniform. 'How much longer?' She asked.

'As soon as Maria agrees to cooperate and to marry one of the men that I approve of, you can tell that idiot of a husband you have that you're getting a divorce because you're tired of him lashing out at you after he has had a couple of pints.' He stroked her cheek. 'Then, once Maria has left the house and you're divorced, we can head to the nearest registry office and get married.' He felt his heart swell as she nuzzled his hand.

'I love you.' She sighed after taking his hand in her own.

'And I love you just as much.' He reassured her. 'Now come here and let me kiss you.'

She giggled before resting her hand on the side of his neck and pressing her lips against his, a hum of sheer contentment escaping her when he rested his hand on the back of her head and stroked her hair with his fingers. 'Karl is in Vienna.' She mumbled between little kisses. 'Would it be alright if I came to you tonight?'

'You can come straight to me once you've dressed Maria for bed.' He told her. 'I've missed holding you.'

She broke their kiss in order to look into his eyes. 'I've missed being in your arms.' She told him.

After pressing his lips to her forehead and running a hand over her hair, Werner sighed as he gazed into her eyes. 'You have no idea of how much I want you. I've been contemplating the idea of us leaving tonight.'

'We could.' She stroked his chest. 'I'm tired of waiting and Maria's just going to keep on getting in the way.'

'I know, darling, but if we just upped and left then Maria would end up smelling a rat and the last thing that I want is for her to upset you. We just need to be patient for a little while longer. Can you do that, Amelie?' He raised his brow at her before closing his eyes and sighing when she pressed a soft kiss onto his hairline.

'I'd wait years to be your wife if I had to.' She told him.

He cupped the side of her neck in his hand. 'It won't be years. It might be a while, but it won't be years.'

'Good.' She whispered before leaning in to peck at his lips.

'You should go, my love, in case she wakes up and finds you here.' He admitted.

She nodded. 'I'll see you tonight.'

'Yes, you will.' He smirked before she rose from the settee, blessed him with a smile and exited the room.

Once he had shifted into a more comfortable position on the settee he felt Maria snuggle further into him, a contented mewl escaping her when she nuzzled his neck and grasped the fabric of his shirt in her hand. She had told him that she was going to listen to everything that he said now and he hoped she meant that.

Because the longer she disobeyed him the longer he would have to wait to be with Amelie.

And his patience was wearing thin.

* * *

Maria felt numb as she laid in bed in silence in the darkness of her bedroom late that night.

After her father had given her permission to leave the dinner table she had come to bed with the hope that sleep would help her to stop thinking about Georg and the letter that he had sent that had made her heart shatter, but slumber hadn't come to claim her. As soon as she had settled down beneath her quilt the tears had started to stream down her cheeks and – as of yet – she had been unable to stop them from doing so.

Even though she was furious and hated him more than she had ever hated another human being right now, she still longed to have his arms around her. She missed the feeling of his powerful chest against her back. She missed the feeling of his lips brushing kisses against her shoulder and neck as she fell asleep in his arms and she missed knowing that she would wake up in the morning to him nuzzling his nose against her hair.

She still wanted to believe that it wasn't him who had sent that letter but she couldn't think of anyone who hated her enough to hurt her like this. It felt as though someone had stabbed her right in the heart several times and it hurt more than she could put into words. What she was unable to figure out was – if he'd been so miserable during their night in the hotel – why had he agreed to make love to her? He could've said no.

In his letter he said that it had been because he had wanted to get some kind of idea about what their time in Vienna would be like, but it hadn't seemed like that on that morning. She had seen the love that he had had for her in his eyes when he had looked at her after parting from one of their kisses in order to catch his breath. He had been so gentle and loving with her when he had been holding her to his chest afterwards.

If he hadn't loved her – at least a little bit – surely he wouldn't have been so concerned about her feelings.

Surely he wouldn't have taken such good care of her.

She just couldn't understand where things had gone wrong.

Earlier that afternoon she had thought about going to his villa and asking him about what had gone wrong between them, but then she had realised that if he disliked her as much as he made out in his letter, there was a chance that he could have slammed the door in her face. She couldn't bear for him to do that to her.

It would finish her; she knew it would.

She would just have to accept that things were over between them.

He didn't love her anymore and that was that.

There was _nothing_ that she could do.

* * *

Just a couple of doors down from her bedroom, Werner was settled underneath the covers of his bed with Amelie in his arms as he kissed her on the shoulder. She sighed in response before turning her head on his arm to kiss the inside of his elbow and shuffling further back into his chest. 'Well, it worked.' He grazed her creamy shoulder with his lips a second time. 'She believed that the letter was written and sent by Georg.'

Amelie remained silent for a few seconds before turning over in his arms, her head landing on his shoulder before she looked up into his eyes. 'Would you hate me if I said that I felt a little…bad…about all of this?'

'I could _never _hate you.' He brought his free hand to her cheek before giving it a light stroke.

'It's just that Maria has always been so good to me and she was so kind to me when I first arrived last year. I don't want her to be with the Captain any more than you do, but whenever I think about how she looked when I went to check on her before I came to you I…I feel ashamed.' She sighed when he kissed her brow.

'You won't feel that way forever.' He soothed. 'Soon you'll realise that we've both done Maria a favour.'

A smile appeared on her lips as she snuggled further into his warmth before she pressed a kiss into the side of his neck, hooked a leg over his hip and draped her arm over his stomach. 'I guess you're right.' She said.

'I _know_ I'm right.' He gave her a squeeze. 'Just like I knew I was right about _this.'_

She tilted her head back on his shoulder to look up into his eyes. 'You make me so happy.' She whispered.

'You do the exact same for me.' He stroked the small swell of her stomach. 'I love you both so much.'

'We love you too.' She reassured him. 'Now give me a kiss so that we can both get some sleep.'

Werner gave her nose an affectionate nudge with his own before pressing his mouth against hers, the arm that was around her waist tightening its hold of her as she moved her hand from his waist to his neck and cupped it in her palm. The two of them parted from their kiss after a couple of seconds before he gave her a kiss on the hairline and drew back. 'Goodnight, my darling.' He told her after turning down his oil lamp.

'Goodnight.' She smiled whilst nuzzling his neck. 'Pleasant dreams.'

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading chapter seven and I hope that it was alright for you all! I also hope that you will leave me a review to let me know what you thought and I'll see you all in the next chapter x**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: A bit of a shorter chapter but I hope you all enjoy :)**

* * *

Maria sighed as she zipped up the back of the dress that she was wearing a little over a fortnight later.

She hadn't wanted this.

She hadn't wanted her father to throw her a birthday party before he left to go to Innsbruck.

Ever since she had read and burned the letter that Georg had sent her everyone had been treating her like she was made of porcelain and like she would break if they said the wrong thing. The staff and the friends that had come to visit her had been walking on eggshells around her and she was beginning to get sick of it.

Yes, she had been low since receiving the letter and yes there had been days where she had just laid in bed and cried, but she wasn't going to let a horrid letter from the man she had once loved break her. Over the past two weeks she had done quite a lot of thinking and she had reached the conclusion that it was his loss.

If he had allowed her to do so, she would have loved him for the rest of her life.

She would have followed him wherever he went, no matter how far.

Now, however, he would never know what that felt like and he only had himself to blame for that.

She would admit that, on occasion, she longed to snuggle into his warmth and to kiss his lips once more, but that longing became weaker and weaker as more time passed. It was time to leave Georg and what the two of them might have had together in the past now and look to the future. Even though she had been treated wrongly by several men in the past, she was certain that at one point she was going to meet the right one.

All she needed to be was patient.

She walked over to her dressing table after coming out of her thoughts before opening one of the drawers and pulling out her lipstick. She then applied a coat of it to her lips and rubbed it in before a gentle knock on her bedroom door caught her attention. 'Come in.' She said before whoever was on the other side of the door opened it, a friendly smile spreading across her lips when she watched Amelie venture into the room.

'Oh, milady, you look beautiful.' The dark-haired maid smiled after closing the door behind her.

'Thank you.' Maria replied before smoothing down the skirt of her knee-length red dress.

'I thought I would come and apologise for not being here to help you dress.' Amelia admitted.

Maria shook her head. 'No apology is necessary. How did your visit to the doctor go?'

'Well, thank you.' Amelie told her. 'He said that the baby is growing nicely and that it has a good heartbeat.'

'Oh, I'm so glad.' Maria smiled. 'You and your husband must be so excited.'

Amelie gave her a nod in response. 'We are. We're thrilled.'

'I'm afraid I haven't spoken to father about you having a few months off for the baby yet,' Maria sighed as she set about putting her lipstick back into the drawer on her dressing table, 'but I promise I'll get there.'

'That won't be necessary, milady.' Amelie told her. 'I spoke to him myself a couple of days ago.'

Maria turned her head in her direction with an expression of surprise on her face. 'You did? Was he alright with that? He didn't lose his temper with you, did he? Because if he did, Amelie, I don't mind talking to…'

'No.' The maid shook her head. 'He didn't lose his temper. He's agreed to give me nine months of paid leave.'

'He did? That's rather generous of him.' Maria said.

'That's what I said to him when he told me.' Amelie replied with a giggle in her voice.

'Well…' Maria clasped her hands in front of herself, 'I'm glad that everything worked out for you.'

Amelie smiled at her. 'Thank you, milady.'

'You're welcome.' Maria nodded. 'Now, I should be going. I suspect the guests are downstairs already?'

'They are.' Amelie informed her. 'And I should probably tell you that…that Captain von Trapp is here.'

Maria felt her heart sink like a rock in her chest. 'What? What on earth is _he _doing here?'

'He came uninvited and refused to leave when your father ordered him to. I heard the two of them having a little dispute when I was coming to you. I believe that your father didn't force him to leave because he didn't want to cause a scene.' Amelie admitted as she looked at her mistress, Maria giving her a silent nod.

'He might not listen to father, but I'll _make _him listen to me. I don't _want_ him here.' She almost hissed.

Amelie walked over to her before resting a kind hand on her shoulder. 'I'm not surprised.' She whispered.

'Thank you for warning me, Amelie.' Maria relaxed under her touch. 'You've always been so good to me.'

'Likewise, milady, likewise.' The maid replied. 'Now, you should go down or you'll be late for your own party.'

After sharing one last smile with her, Maria stepped past her before walking over to her bedroom door and opening it in order to slip out of the room and onto the corridor. She then made her way over to the stairs before taking a deep breath when everyone in the foyer looked up at her. 'Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my daughter.' She heard her father announce from the bottom of the stairs before the guests applauded.

When she reached the foot of the staircase and came to stand at her father's side her gaze met with that of Georg's for a moment before she glared at him and turned her attention to her father when he brought his hand to her cheek and stroked it. 'I am so proud of you, my darling, and you deserve the world.' He said.

'Thank you, father.' She smiled although inside her heart was beginning to break all over again.

'Now, I do have _one_ small surprise for you.' Werner said whilst removing his hand from her cheek. 'Stefan?'

Her eyes lit up and a smile graced her features when Stefan, the young man with whom she had spent most of her childhood with, stepped forward and looked into her eyes. He had moved with his parents to Vienna when the two of them had been eleven and she could remember being heartbroken for months afterwards. 'Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?' He offered her a gentle smile before opening his arms to her, Maria not even caring about decorum in that moment as she hurried over to him and laced her arms around his waist.

She buried her nose into his jacket as he held her close and ran his hands over her back through her dress, her gaze once again meeting with Georg's when her eyes flickered open after a moment or to. She wouldn't allow him to ruin this moment for her and so she turned her head on Stefan's shoulder, stroked the side of his neck with her nose and released a sigh of contentment. 'I've missed you so much, Stefan.' She told him as she curled her fingers into his jacket and held him tighter to her before smiling as he stroked her hair.

'I've missed you too.' He whispered. 'More than you know.'

The two of them broke their embrace after a time before her father spoke up again.

'I have a wonderful idea. Maria and Stefan, would you mind starting tonight off by dancing the Laendler?'

Once her father had spoken, Maria looked up into Stefan's eyes and shrugged. 'Shall we?'

Stefan gave her his answer through sliding his hand into hers and lacing their fingers together. 'We shall.'

He then led her into the centre of the foyer, the guests all moving aside so that the two of them had room to dance. Just before the music began, Maria glanced over at Georg and frowned when he saw the look he was giving her. _'He can look at me like that all he likes,' _She said to herself, _'but it won't make a difference.' _

When the music began at last she gazed up at Stefan and smiled before they began to dance the Laendler.

As she had said to herself before she had come downstairs…this was Georg's loss.

And she wasn't going to feel guilty about moving on with her life.

Ever.

* * *

'I'm just going to get another glass of champagne.' She told Stefan when she was sat opposite him at one of the tables in the grand hall later that evening, the two of them exchanging a smile as she got up from her chair. 'Would you like another glass?' She raised a brow at him once she had pushed the chair back in again.

Stefan thought for a moment before nodding. 'I would. Thank you, Maria.'

She rested her hand on his shoulder and gave it a little squeeze before leaving their table and walking over to the table that the drinks were sat atop. Just as she reached for two champagne flutes she felt a hand on her waist and warm breath against the back of her neck. 'We need to talk.' The man behind her told her.

'I don't _want_ to talk to you.' She hissed without turning around. 'I never want to see your face again.'

'I don't understand what I've done wrong.' Georg admitted in her ear.

She scoffed. 'If I wasn't so furious with you, that would actually make me laugh.'

'My life is perfect,' He gave her waist a tender stroke, 'and then in the space of just five days it is nothing. To me, that requires an explanation.' When he nuzzled the hair at her neck she took a small step forwards.

After standing in silence with him for several long seconds she forced herself to turn around and face him. 'When we met I thought that you were different.' She told him. 'When we danced and when you kissed me out on the garden terrace I fell in love with you. You made me feel so special and so loved that night. When you told me that you loved me in that café the next afternoon, I actually believed that you were serious.'

She watched Georg's forehead crease. 'I was.' He told her.

'No,' She sniffled as tears burned her eyes, 'you weren't. You didn't mean a single word of it, Georg, like you didn't mean a single word of it when you told me that you loved me in the weeks to follow. You can say that you love me as much as you like but I will never believe it. I'll never believe another word that comes out of your mouth.' She made to step past him then, but when he rested his hand on her waist again she stopped.

'Where on earth is this coming from?' He kept his voice low.

She glared at him. 'The letter that you sent to me saying that you don't love me, that you never did love me and that you were only courting me because you missed having a woman's company during the war! It's also the same letter that you sent to me saying that you hated every second of our night together in the hotel.' The clueless expression on his face just annoyed her more. 'Don't give me that look.' She almost growled.

'Maria, I don't have the first idea…'

'What's going on here?' Maria turned her head in Stefan's direction when he reached her and Georg.

'Nothing.' She shook her head. 'The Captain was just getting a glass of champagne. Weren't you, Captain?'

Knowing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with her tonight, Georg sighed. 'Yes. Yes, I was.'

Maria then lowered her gaze to her feet as he reached around her for a champagne flute, a trembling sigh escaping her when he left her and Stefan together before a single tear fell over the curve of her cheek. 'What's wrong?' The concern was obvious in Stefan's voice before she brought her gaze to his and sniffled.

'I…I just don't know what to do anymore…' She choked out as the tears caught in her throat.

Not wanting her to burst into tears in the middle of her own party, Stefan took her hand in his and slipped his fingers through the gaps in hers. 'Not here, you don't.' He shook his head before beginning to lead her through the foyer and over to the doors that led out onto the large garden terrace at the back of the villa.

From his table, Georg frowned as he watched Stefan lead Maria outside.

He didn't have the first clue of what she had been going on about.

He hadn't sent a single letter to anyone since the two of them had last seen one another.

Something was very, _very _wrong.

* * *

Once Maria's sobs had lessened into hiccups, Stefan brought his hand to her face and wiped her cheeks.

'I'm afraid I've made a bit of a fool of myself.' She sniffled as she sat beside him on the bench.

'No…' He whispered with a shake of his head, 'never be ashamed of crying. Especially not in front of me.'

She offered him a tearful smile before allowing him to rest his hand on the small of her back once he had wiped all of the tears from her cheeks. 'I thought that what Georg and I had was real. He kept on telling me that he loved me for who I am and I was stupid enough to believe him. How could I have been so blind?'

'None of this is your fault.' He soothed as he shifted a little closer to her. 'It's him who's at fault here.'

She sat in silence for a few seconds. 'I...I know it sounds like I'm whining, but I…I'm so sick of being hurt.'

Stefan ran his hand along her back as he listened to her.

'All the men I've ever been with have hurt me somehow and I'm starting to lose faith.' She admitted.

'We're not all brutes, Maria, I promise you.' His voice was gentle.

'I know.' Her lips curled up into a small smile as she snuggled against him. 'You're the living proof of that.'

He ran his hand over her hair when she rested her head on his shoulder. 'I promise you that you're going to find a man that loves you with his whole heart one of these days. You are so gentle, Maria, and you have so much love to give and sooner or later the right man is going to come into your life.' He looked into her eyes.

'You're certain?' She asked with slight disbelief in her eyes.

'I'm certain.' He nodded. 'You just need to give it a little time, sweetheart.'

She felt a surge of warmth course through her when he slid his arm around her. 'I don't want you to leave.'

'That's good to know,' He smirked, 'because I won't be going anywhere. I've just bought my first villa.'

She lifted her head off of his shoulder, her happiness clear in her eyes. 'You have?' She beamed. 'Where?'

'About ten…fifteen minutes away from here.' He informed her. 'So you'll be seeing a lot more of me.'

Not quite knowing what to say in response, she wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him. When he wrapped his own arms around her waist and pulled her close she settled into him and buried her face in the side of his neck. After a couple of minutes, the two of them parted from their embrace but when their eyes met – before she was able to stop herself – she leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss.

She pulled back from him with a gasp almost seconds later before clasping a hand over her mouth.

'I…I'm sorry.' She told him. 'I don't know what came over me, I…'

'Maria,' Stefan took her face in his hands so that she would look into his eyes, 'it's okay…'

The feeling of his thumbs stroking her skin managed to calm her somewhat. 'I shouldn't have done that.'

'You're not in a good place right now.' He pointed out. 'That can make people do things they usually wouldn't.'

'You've always been so understanding,' She shook her head when he released her face, 'and so kind to me.'

He tucked a strand of her hair back behind her ear. 'That's because I care about you, Maria.'

'It's nice to know that I'll have someone other than my maid to confide in from now on.' She smiled at him.

'I hope that you will always telephone or come to me if you need me.' He replied. 'Promise me you will.'

She reached for one of his hands and took it in her own. 'I promise.' She gave his hand a light squeeze.

After leaning forward to give her a simple kiss on the cheek, he smiled at her. 'Care for another dance?'

'You know, Stefan, I haven't danced the Viennese Waltz in months.' She smirked.

'Then that will be the next song that the band plays.' He told her. 'Come on, let's get you back inside.'

She allowed him to help her up from the bench before he slipped his arm back around her waist and held her close to him, an expression of contentment appearing on her face when her head came to settle on his shoulder and she leaned against him.

There were a great number of men that she would never trust with her heart or her feelings again…

But she knew that Stefan would never be added to that list.

Never.

* * *

_Remember, if you ever need to talk – whether it's in the middle of the night or in the middle of the day – all you have to do is telephone me. You never have to suffer alone again._

_Stefan._

Maria couldn't help but smile as she folded the note that Stefan had given to her before he had gone home after the party that evening, her gaze travelling to the ceiling as she sighed after placing the folded note down on her nightstand. She was so thankful that her father had invited him. If he hadn't had been there, she was certain that the little dispute that she and Georg had been having would have gotten much worse.

He hadn't changed at all.

He was still the loving, compassionate, incredible young man he had been before he had left Salzburg.

The fact that he hadn't thought any less of her when she had given him a kiss out of the blue on the bench warmed her heart. He had understood that the only reason for her doing that was because she was under so much stress and she was still trying to get her head around the fact that she and Georg were finished.

When she had looked over at Georg when she had been about to dance the Laendler with Stefan earlier on, the look that she had seen in his eyes had been one of both love and jealousy. It had confused her. He had been the one to break her heart and end things with her and yet he was jealous of seeing her with Stefan?

Did he think that - just because things were over between them – she was going to cut off all men?

If he did, he was mistaken.

She knew the real Georg now and – if she was honest – she much more preferred the old one.

The Georg she had known had been the fake Georg, however, and she was never going to forget that.

He wasn't the man that she had thought he was and she was just going to have to live with that.

No matter how hard it was going to be.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading chapter 8. I think that I'm going to take a little break from this fic now since I've updated it quite a lot over the last couple of days. I won't be inactive, however, because I'll be working on other stories like "Not a Child Anymore" and hopefully "Save Me". I want to thank you all so much for the lovely reviews you've been leaving and I hope that you will also review this chapter to let me know what you think. See you all soon! :-)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I know that I said that I wouldn't be updating this for a while, but I just couldn't resist! I hope that you all like this chapter and happy reading :-) x**

* * *

Amelie burrowed further into the side of Werner's neck as she ran her fingers through the hairs on his chest whilst lying in his arms in the aftermath of their lovemaking a couple of mornings later, a quiet sigh escaping her as she knew that Karl was returning from Vienna that afternoon and she would have to go home to their house after dressing Maria for bed. That was the last thing that she wanted to do.

She longed to be able to sleep in Werner's arms for just one more night; to drift off to him running the tips of his fingers up and down her back through her nightgown. Waking up with her head cushioned on his chest for the last three mornings had been bliss and knowing that that would have to stop again made her feel so downhearted. She was sick of Karl now. The only man that she wanted was Werner.

'You're brooding.' She heard him sigh as he gazed up at the ceiling and stroked her hip under the quilt.

Once she had shifted herself in his arms so that she could look up at him and he had turned his head in her direction, she ran her fingers along the line of his jaw before stretching up to give him the lightest of kisses. She sucked on his lower lip before bringing their kiss to an end after a few moments, his arm tightening its hold of her when she settled in his embrace again and slipped her arm over his stomach.

'I have to go home tonight,' She told him when their eyes met again, 'and I don't want to.'

'Then don't.' He replied.

'Darling, Karl gets back from Vienna at three and he'll be expecting me to start walking home once I've seen to Maria tonight.' She snuggled further into his warmth. 'I don't want to be without you tonight, but I also don't want Karl to become suspicious. If he so much as suspects that there's something going on between us, then he'll force me to leave Salzburg. If he does, I…I'll never be able to see you again.'

Werner heard the tearfulness in her voice and gave her a kiss on the forehead whilst stroking her face. 'You won't be going anywhere.' His voice was soft as he spoke to her. 'This,' He rested his hand on the swell of her stomach beneath the quilt, 'is _our _child and I would have to be dead and buried before I let him take either of you from me.' He felt his heart swell when a gentle smile graced Amelie's features.

She was s_o _beautiful.

'Even though I have to go home to him tonight, I don't love him one bit.' She sighed. 'I love _you.'_

'I know, sweetheart.' He reassured her. 'I love you too.'

She allowed him to graze the tip of her nose with his for a few seconds before sitting up a bit to glance over his shoulder at the clock that sat on his nightstand. With a huff, she laid down next to him again and reached up to brush his hair out of his face. 'I have to get up.' She pouted. 'If I'm not downstairs in time for breakfast then Frau Schneider will give me a lecture and I'm really not in the mood for that.'

Werner gave her a simple squeeze before pecking at her lips.

'If she upsets you or says anything out of turn, let me know and I'll put her in her place.' He admitted.

'I'm so blessed to have you looking out for me.' She stroked his chest.

'I'm looking out for _both _of you.' He caressed her belly tenderly. 'I'll never love anyone more than you.'

She smiled. 'Neither will we.'

Once the two of them had shared a final kiss, Amelie wriggled out of his arms before drawing back the covers and climbing out of bed. It took her less than five minutes to pull on her uniform and once she had managed to do something with her hair she walked over to where Werner was propped up in bed, leaned down and kissed his lips. 'I'll see you later?' She raised her brow after peeling back from him.

'Of course.' He stroked her cheek.

She then turned on her heel and walked across and out of the bedroom, a sigh of contentment escaping Werner as he settled down underneath the quilt once again and tucked one arm underneath his head.

She was _exquisite…_

* * *

Once she was certain that she wasn't going to vomit again for the time being, Maria reached up to pull the toilet chain before lying her head on the seat of the toilet and revelling in how cool and refreshing it felt against the flushed skin of her cheek. She couldn't understand what was wrong with her. For the last six days, she'd been vomiting during the day - mostly in the morning – and she didn't know why.

At first she had thought that perhaps she had gotten food poisoning, but then she had realised that her father wasn't displaying symptoms and so it couldn't have been that. Normally, when she was unwell, she would notice signs a couple of days before she vomited. This time around, however, she hadn't felt ill at all in the days leading up to her first rush to the en-suite. To be honest, she felt alright in herself.

She wasn't suffering from headaches and she didn't have a fever or an upset stomach, so she was quite confused as to what could be the issue. Perhaps she was so ill because she was finding it hard to sleep. Over the last week-or-so, for the first time in a while, she had been suffering from nightmares. A lot of them were flashbacks to when Hans had pulled her into the boat house and held her against the wall.

Some, however, were about Georg.

Those nightmares, surprisingly, were worse than the ones about Hans.

She couldn't get her head around why, though.

'_Because you're still in love with him, you fool.' _A distant voice in her head scoffed.

Deciding to ignore the voice in her head, Maria pushed herself to her feet before approaching the basin and splashing some water on her face. She then brushed her teeth to rid her mouth of the foul taste of vomit before leaving the en-suite, turning off the light and going back to bed. Feeling too warm to settle down beneath the quilt, she laid on top of it before looking up at the ceiling and letting out a soft sigh.

It was at times like this that she wished her mother was still alive.

She knew that if she was she would be lying right next to her, holding her in her arms and running her fingers through her hair. Her mother, no matter how unwell she had been, had always known what to do to make her feel better. She would give anything to have her mother's arms wrapped around her at that moment. _'Perhaps I should try and rest.' _She thought to herself, _'Perhaps it'll help me feel better.'_

After closing her eyes and sliding her hand beneath her pillow she began to relax in order for slumber to claim her, but before she could drift off there was a knock on her door. 'Come in.' She commanded as she propped herself up on her hands, a weak smile gracing her features when the door opened and Amelie walked into the room. The expression on the face of her maid told her that she looked unwell.

'Oh, milady, you don't look well at all.' Amelie said whilst walking over to the bed of her Mistress.

'I don't _feel _too well either, to be honest.' Maria admitted after leaning back against the headboard.

'Would you like me to telephone doctor Wagner?' Amelie raised her brow.

Maria shook her head. 'I'm not _that _sick, Amelie, I'm just exhausted and I need to rest.'

'I understand. Shall I see what plans you had for this afternoon, telephone whoever you were planning to see and let them know that you'll have to reschedule?' Amelie asked whilst she looked down at her.

'That would be wonderful, Amelie, thank you.' Maria nodded with a smile. 'Could you also let the other staff and father know that I don't want to be disturbed until this evening? I just want to be left alone.'

Amelie returned her smile. 'I'll go and do that right now, Milady. Is there anything that you need?'

'No,' Maria told her before lying down again, 'thank you.'

Once she had nodded at her in response, Amelie walked across and out of the bedroom before shutting the door behind her and leaving Maria alone. It didn't take Maria long to settle down once again once her bedroom was silent and the breeze came in through the window, a sigh leaving her as she shut her eyes and nuzzled into her pillow.

Within minutes, slumber had claimed her and she was releasing soft snores.

* * *

'I telephoned Stefan and told him that Maria is sick, so I don't understand why he still came over.' Said Amelie when she was relaxed in Werner's embrace on the settee in his study a little while after lunch.

'He came over because I telephoned him back and said that I believe Maria would appreciate it if he sat with her and kept her company.' He turned his head in Amelie's direction as he ran his hand along the length of her back. 'It's just another part of my plan to get her out of the house and make you my bride as soon as possible.' He informed her before revelling in the charming smile that graced her features.

After snuggling against him, she rested her head on his shoulder and looked into his eyes.

'I don't care who Maria marries as long as it isn't Georg von Trapp.' He admitted.

'Because you're afraid that he'll break her heart.' She stroked his chest.

'I'm going to let you in on a little secret.' He tucked her hair back behind her ear. 'I know that he won't break her heart and that he loves her. I know that he's pining after her, but I don't care. I won't have him for a son-in-law, I just won't have it.' He told her, Amelie nodding as she tangled her leg with his.

After a few seconds, she said: 'Can I ask why you hate him so much?'

'You can, but it would take me years to tell you all about it. All I'm going to tell you about the matter is that I couldn't stand his father and he's turned out to be just like him.' He snugged her closer to him.

'So…what's your plan with Stefan?' She asked to change the subject a little.

'I plan to involve him in Maria's life as much as possible over the next couple of weeks.' He admitted to her. 'I leave for Innsbruck in the morning, but I've told him that I want him to come and spend at least an hour with her each day. He loves her just as much – if not more than Georg does – and if I know my daughter, which I do, she'll fall head over heels for him if he so much as holds a door open for her.'

Amelie giggled. 'So, you don't think it'll be long until she's out of our hair?'

'I give it a month at most,' He smiled, 'and then you and I will be on our honeymoon.'

'Mmm…' She ran her hand along the front of his chest, 'two months alone with you in Paris…'

He leaned his forehead against hers. 'Bliss.'

'I think I'd like a little preview of what our honeymoon will be like.' She smirked. 'Care to oblige?'

The searing kiss that he caught her in was a good enough answer in her opinion.

* * *

'How are you feeling?' Stefan asked whilst stroking Maria's cheek with the back of his hand.

'I've felt better.' She admitted as she looked up at him.

A smile appeared on his lips. 'Is there anything that I can get for you? A glass of water, perhaps?'

'That would be nice.' She nodded. 'There's a glass in the en-suite.'

He removed his hand from her cheek before tucking a wayward strand of hair back behind her ear. 'I'll be right back.' The two of them shared a smile before he stood from the edge of her bed and made his way over to her en-suite, Maria lying in silence for a few moments as she waited for him to re-enter the room with her glass of water before she smiled when he left the en-suite and shut the door after him.

Once he had walked back over to the bed she sat up and allowed him to hand the glass of water to her. 'Danke.' She sighed when he sat back down on the edge of the bed, the gratitude evident in her eyes.

'You're welcome.' He reassured her before watching her take a long sip from the glass.

She set the glass of water down on her nightstand after taking a few sips before meeting Stefan's gaze.

'What is it?' He asked after a time as he knew that there was something she wanted to ask him.

'I…I was wondering if…if you would come and hold me for a little while.' She admitted, both her hands beginning to twist together in her lap as a blush appeared in her cheeks and her gaze fell to his chest. When he had sat in silence for a few seconds she looked at him again. 'You don't have to if you don't –'

Stefan rested a hand over both of hers to keep them from twisting together. 'I want to.'

'You do?' She smiled.

He nodded. 'I haven't held you in years.'

Her brow creased a little as she cocked her head to one side. 'You've held me before?'

'When we were kids.' He admitted. 'When you were five and I was ten we were playing together out in your back garden and you fell and scraped your knee. You started crying and so I said that I would go and get your mother, but you told me not to because she told you twice not to run on concrete and so I held you until you stopped crying.' Maria let out a soft giggle as she reclined back against her pillow.

'You were always so gentle with me,' She recalled, 'and you always let me choose the game we played.'

He stroked her knuckles with his thumb.

The two of them looked into one another's eyes for a short time before Stefan started to shift closer to her on the bed, her heart racing within her chest when he brought the hand that had been resting on hers to her chin and held it between his thumb and index finger. 'Maria, can...can I…' He stammered.

'Yes…yes, you can kiss me.' She nodded.

Now that she had given him her permission he shifted a little closer to her before using the hand that was holding her chin to bring her face closer to his, his eyes drifting closed just seconds before their lips met in a sweet yet chaste kiss. 'How was that?' He whispered as he pressed his forehead to hers.

'Perfect.' She sucked on her lower lip.

The two of them shared a smile when he drew back from her before he got up from the side of the bed, walked around to the other side and climbed onto it. 'Come here.' He told her once he had opened his arms to her, the radiant smile that was on her lips growing whilst she shifted into his embrace. He left a kiss on her temple after wrapping his arms around her, a tired sigh escaping her whilst she settled.

'This is nice.' She closed her eyes and nuzzled his chest with her cheek.

'This is _very _nice.' He agreed. 'And _you _are very _tired.'_

He revelled in the sound of her giggle.

'Why don't you get some sleep, hmm?' He suggested.

'I don't want you to leave me.' She tilted her head back against his chest.

Stefan was unable to resist the urge to drop a kiss onto her lips.

'I'll never leave you…' He reassured her.

'Promise?' She raised her brow as she settled down in his arms again and allowed her eyes to fall shut.

'Promise.' He whispered to her whilst trailing his fingers through her hair as she drifted. 'Promise…'

* * *

It was late that evening when Maria walked out of her bedroom as she tied the sashes of her dressing gown around her waist, a soft yawn escaping her as she ran her fingers through her hair and walked down the corridor towards the stairs. Ever since Stefan had gone home a couple of hours ago, all that she had done was sleep. She had slept right through dinner and even through supper she imagined.

When she had woken up a little over half-an-hour ago she had thought about going back to sleep since it was nearing midnight, but then she had remembered that her father was leaving for Innsbruck the next morning and would no doubt be gone before she rose. Knowing that, she had decided to go to his study and tell him that she was going to miss him in case she was unable to do so the next morning.

'_Are you certain you're going to be alright?' _She stopped in her tracks when she heard her father speak.

Who was he talking to?

'_I'll be fine,' _She had to suppress her gasp at the female voice that replied, _'don't worry about me.'_

Amelie?

What on earth was going on?

Not wishing to be seen by either her father or her maid, Maria stopped before she made it to the top of the staircase but peered around the wall so that she could see what was going on down in the foyer.

Her heart pounded in her chest when she saw her father lie both of his hands on Amelie's hips through her uniform. When he started to walk her maid backwards towards the wall, however, it almost came to a complete stop. 'You know that I'll miss you, don't you?' She heard him murmur once Amelie's back had come into contact with the wall and he was standing in front of her, his lips inches from her own.

'Of course I do,' Her maid replied, 'but what's the harm in you proving it?'

Maria knew what was going to come next and, not wishing to see it, she took a few backward steps. As the next few seconds passed and the sound of her father and maid's kisses filled the air, she attempted to block out the sound. She felt relief flood her veins when the two of them stopped kissing and she peered around the wall once again before tears brimmed in her eyes. Her father was caressing Amelie's rounded belly.

She didn't have to think twice about the reason for him doing so.

_He _was the father.

_Not _Amelie's husband.

'I should go so that you can get to bed.' She heard Amelie whisper. 'You have a long drive tomorrow.'

'I'll be thinking of you the entire time.' Her father said in response.

After watching her father stroke Amelie's cheek and kiss her on the forehead she watched him pull the front door open and allow her to walk through it, her heart pounding in her chest again when he shut the door and turned towards the stairs.

She needed to get back to her bedroom before she was caught.

As she heard her father ascending the staircase she ran down the corridor and into her room, shut the door behind her and hurried over to her bed. She then drew back the quilt, climbed into bed and laid down before waiting in the dark. After a minute the door squeaked open and she shut her eyes, trying to feign slumber as best as she could. 'Goodnight, Maria.' She heard him whisper. 'Pleasant dreams.'

Then, without even entering the room, he closed the door behind himself and left her alone.

'_How could he do this?' _She asked herself as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

How could he replace her mother? With her _maid _no less!

So, he was allowed to court a servant in private but she wasn't allowed to court a Captain?!

She had thought that she was upset when she was standing at the top of the staircase, but she wasn't.

She was furious.

She was livid.

And she would never forgive her father _or_ Amelie for this.

Never…

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading chapter 9 and I hope you enjoyed! I really struggled with this one, but I hope it was alright for you all and that you'll leave a review to let me know what you thought! See you all next time :-) x**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: A super short chapter, I'm afraid, but I've had terrible writer's block over the last few days and this is what I managed to get out tonight. I swear the next chapter will be longer, but I hope this is alright for you all for now. Happy reading x**

* * *

Maria stroked her fingers against the hairs on his forearm and sighed as she laid in his arms in silence a couple of mornings later, a tired smile etched into her features as she could feel the rise and fall of his chest against her back and his warm breath beating against the nape of her neck. It felt so incredible to wake up, not alone, but in the arms of a man that loved her again.

She laid still for a few minutes more, revelling in the feeling of his arms around her, before she began to roll over in order to look at him. Once she had settled down in his arms again and he had tightened his hold of her on instinct, she brought one hand out from beneath the quilt and reached up to trail the backs of her fingers down the side of his face. He was just so dashing.

Last night, just as she had been thinking about going to bed, he had knocked on her front door.

If she was honest, she hadn't wanted to see or talk to him.

Not after the disagreement the two of them had had.

When she had opened the door, however, he had been standing on her doorstep with roses for her and the most apologetic expression on his face. He had apologised for everything (so had she) and within moments their arms had been around one another and nothing aside from the two of them had mattered to them. Time had stopped whilst they had kissed and reconciled.

Instead of saying goodnight to him and closing the door when he had ended their kiss, she had reminded him that her father was in Innsbruck before asking him to spend the night with her. The fact that he was sleeping beside her now was proof that he had been more than willing to do so. It had been so nice to be able to lie next to him and give him gentle kisses and nuzzles.

Her love for him was so deep that she was unable to explain it.

When she had wriggled out of his arms in the middle of the night and hurried to the en suite to throw up he had followed her. He had held her hair back so that it hadn't bothered her, he had drawn circles onto the centre of her back with his other hand to comfort her and he had talked to her in the most soothing way. Afterwards, he had led her back to bed and helped her relax.

The two of them had tried to get a little more sleep after he had gotten her a glass of water to take away the foul taste of vomit and her slumber hadn't been disturbed again for the rest of the night. Feeling her heart swell with love for him when he drew her closer and feathered the gentlest kiss against her forehead, she laid her hand on his chest and pressed her lips to his.

She lingered for a moment and sighed before pulling back, but when she did pull back she saw that his eyes were half-lidded and blessed him with a smile. 'Hello, sleepyhead.' She laughed.

'Mmm…' He ran his hand up and down her spine, 'hello, beautiful.'

After leaning in and kissing the corner of her mouth, he nuzzled further into his pillow.

'What time is it?' He raised his brow whilst she teased the hairs on his chest.

'It's almost nine.' She replied. 'How do you feel about getting some breakfast?'

'Do we have to get up now,' He smirked, 'or can we postpone it for a little while longer?'

Her hand travelled up his chest before coming to rest on the side of his neck.

'That depends on the reason for postponing it…' She ran her thumb along the line of his jaw as her gaze flicked from his, down to his lips and back again. 'It has to be quite an important one.'

'Oh, trust me,' He rolled her onto her back and covered her body with his, 'it's _very _important.'

She couldn't hold back the little laugh that escaped her when he lowered his head to graze his nose against hers, her eyes drifting closed of their own accord when he swallowed her giggle with a soft kiss. The smack of their lips echoed in the silence of her bedroom when he brought their kiss to an end, nothing but deep love and affection for one another shining in their eyes.

'I love you, Stefan…' She shook her head before wrapping her arms around his neck.

'I love you too, Maria.' He reassured her just seconds before he kissed her lips again. 'So much.'

* * *

It was a couple of hours later, not long after the two of them had had lunch in the dining room, when Maria and Stefan were walking through the foyer and in the direction of the front door. 'Do you have to go right now?' She almost pouted as she opened the front door for him, 'It's no fun being alone in a villa this size. What am I supposed to do until you come over tomorrow?'

'I'll tell you what you can do.' He rested his hands on her waist through her dress and drew her close until their chests were touching. 'You can sit and think about how, the second you open this door, I'm going to be holding you close to me and kissing you senseless.' He told her softly.

She smiled and stroked the front of his chest as she looked into his eyes.

'About that stupid argument we had the other night…' She sighed, 'I really am so sorry, Stefan.'

He shushed her before drawing her even closer to him - if that were even possible - and giving her hairline a kiss. 'You have _nothing _to apologise to me for. I should have thought about your feelings, sweetheart, because I know you've been hurt in the past. I should have been far more considerate.' She gave him a little nod in response before stretching to kiss him on the cheek.

'We were _both _in the wrong,' She pointed out, 'but let's leave it all behind us now and move on.'

'Yes,' He wrapped his arms around her middle, 'let's…'

The two of them looked at one another for a time, Maria stroking the underside of his jaw with her thumb as she cupped the side of his neck in her hand and he palmed circles into the small of her back. 'How do you feel about going to the Untersberg tomorrow morning?' She inquired.

'A picnic breakfast?' He leaned his forehead against hers.

'Can we?' She beamed. 'Please?'

'I suppose so.' He teased before giving her a squeeze.

She released a sigh of happiness. 'You should get going.'

'I'll telephone you tonight, alright?' He ran a hand over her hair.

'I'll be waiting.' She replied as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

He then leaned down to give her three kisses on the lips before letting go of her and turning to walk out of the villa. Maria leaned against the doorframe to the front door and watched as he walked over to his car, a giggle escaping her when he turned to her and gave her a wink before slipping into his vehicle. He then started the engine, gave her a wave and started to drive off.

* * *

She smiled to herself as she left the sitting room and walked in the direction of the front door again some time later, shaking her head good-naturedly as she knew that it would be Stefan returning to pick up something that he had left there. When she got to the door and opened it, however, she saw that it wasn't Stefan standing there. It was the last man she hoped to see.

It was Georg.

For a couple of seconds she did nothing but stare at him.

He looked so different compared to the last time she had seen him.

There were bags under his eyes, his hair was rather dishevelled, he had stubble on his chin and jawline and he wasn't dressed anywhere near as immaculately as she remembered. 'Georg, I.'

'Five minutes.' He almost begged. 'I just want five minutes to talk to you, Maria, please…'

She sighed as she folded her arms across her chest. 'I don't see what you're hoping to achieve.'

'I'm not hoping to achieve anything at this point.' He admitted. 'All I know is that I'm going to go insane if I have to go another minute without talking to you.' It sounded as though there were tears clawing their way up his throat and the sound made her heart break. He sounded so low.

Not wishing to see him turn into a trembling mess on her doorstep she nodded and stepped to one side, allowing him to enter the villa before she closed the door and turned to look up into his eyes. After a couple of seconds she saw his lips curl up into something of a smile whilst he took in the sight of her. 'Oh, Maria…' He sighed, taking a step closer to her, 'you're so perfect.'

When he reached up to tuck a blonde strand of hair back beneath her ear her mind told her to take a step back from him, but her feet didn't get that message and so she remained still and allowed him to do so. He traced the line of her jaw with his fingertips after doing so, revelling in how smooth her skin was to the touch. 'Georg, please.' She finally stepped back from him.

'Can I ask you a question?' He raised his brow once his hand had returned to his side.

'I suppose so.' She shrugged.

He took a deep breath. 'If you didn't want to see me anymore; if you wanted to end things, why didn't you come and tell me that yourself? Why did you send your maid to come and tell me?'

Maria's brow furrowed in confusion. 'What are you talking about?' She asked.

'A few days before your party,' He started, 'your maid - Amelie, I think her name was - came to tell me that you sent her to me with a message. Naturally, I wanted to know what you asked her to come and tell me, so I asked her what the message was. She told me that you said that you want nothing to do with me anymore.' The pain that he was feeling was clear in his eyes.

After looking at his chest for a time, Maria looked into his eyes. 'Georg, I...I never said anything like that. I never summoned Amelie and asked her to visit your villa and give you a message.'

'Do you remember the letter that I supposedly sent to you?' He inquired.

'Of course.' She felt her heart ache. 'I can still see the words on the page now.'

'I didn't write that.' He closed the distance between them before reaching for her hand, smiling when she didn't back off from him or wriggle her hand free. 'I don't know who did, Maria, but I didn't do it. I haven't written a letter to anyone in almost a month.' Maria felt her heart shatter.

After a time, however, something clicked in her head and her sadness turned to rage.

'No…' She breathed.

'What?' Georg frowned as he ran his thumb back and forth across her knuckles a few times.

'Georg...' Her eyes were filled with anger when she looked up at him again, 'I...I think father and Amelie did this. I...I think they set all of this up…'

* * *

**Author's Note: I want to thank you all so much for taking the time to read this chapter and the previous nine. I apologise once again for this chapter being so short, but I hope that it was alright for you all and that you'll drop me a review to let me know what you all think of it. See you all next time! x**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: I promised you a longer chapter in the last chapter, and a longer chapter you have! I really hope that you all enjoy this chapter, guys. Happy reading! x**

* * *

'_I...I think father and Amelie did this. I...I think they set all of this up…'_

Georg looked at her with slight confusion in his eyes as he continued to sweep his thumb back and forth across her knuckles. 'I understand why your father would do this - he hates me and he loathes the thought of us being an item - but...but I don't understand why your maid would.'

'Well, she won't be my maid for much longer…' She revealed to him, 'but I can understand it.'

'You can?' A crease formed in his brow.

After sighing, she shook her head at him. 'Not here.'

She then tightened her hold on his hand before leading him down the stairs, through the foyer and into her father's study. Once they were both inside she closed the door behind them and approached the settee with him. 'Father and Amelie have been...seeing each other.' She said to him once they had sat down. 'I don't know how long for, but she's managed to fall pregnant.'

When she lifted her gaze out of her lap and looked up into Georg's eyes it was clear to her that he was just as disgusted as she had been when she had come across her father and her maid.

'For so long, I thought that she was my friend.' She admitted. 'Whenever a relationship that my father set up didn't work out she would ask me to tell her about it and I thought that that was because she cared, but now I know that it wasn't. She wanted me to talk to her about it so that she could go and tell father all that I'd told her.' It felt as though her heart was being stabbed.

When Georg shifted closer to her on the settee and wrapped an arm around her she didn't feel the need to shuffle away from him. Rather, she shuffled closer and leaned against him. 'I was so horrible to you on the night of the party, but I truly thought that you were the one who sent that letter.' Her voice was soft as she spoke and looked up into his eyes, Georg sighing at her.

'What did the letter say? What did you think I said about you?' He ran his hand along her waist.

She swallowed the tears that were clawing up her throat. 'The letter said that you came to the conclusion that I wasn't the right woman for you. It said that you only took me to that hotel to get an idea of what our week in Vienna would have been like and that you...hated every minute of it but didn't dare tell me because I was fragile due to how Hans attacked me that morning.'

She felt a tear escape her eye and dance down her cheek.

'It said that nothing from our night together in that hotel meant anything to you. That was one of the things that hurt the most because I thought that...I thought that I had disappointed you when we had made love. The letter then said that you were hoping that Hanna wouldn't cover for me again because you didn't want me staying over. You wanted to be free of me.' She said.

She lowered her gaze to her lap again then, not wanting Georg to see the tears that had begun to roll down her cheeks, but when he cupped her cheek in his hand and lifted her gaze back to his she let out a tearful sigh. 'You truly thought that I would write something so horrid to you?'

'You know that I've never had much luck in relationships.' She reminded him through her tears. 'I wasn't used to men treating me with respect before I met you. I was used to men telling me that my shyness made me boring or that I needed to lose weight. I was used to getting hit and lied to on what seemed like a constant basis. Of course I thought you wrote that letter to me.'

The tears were falling faster now and she was releasing quiet sobs and it broke Georg's heart.

'Oh, my darling,' He ran a hand over her hair, 'come here.'

Maria went willingly into his embrace when he pulled her closer to his chest and laid her head on his shoulder, her arms lacing around his waist before she curled her fingers into his jacket and sobbed into the side of his neck. 'I've got you.' She heard his voice in her ear whilst he gave her back the most soothing caresses with the palm of his hand. 'I promise I've got you, Maria.'

When she pulled back from his shoulder at last it felt as though she had been crying for hours, but she knew that, in reality, it had been about five minutes at the most. 'It said - at the end of that letter - that you didn't love me as much as you used to and that you never really loved me to begin with.' She revealed to him as her arms stayed around his middle. 'That hurt so much.'

'It's not true.' He cupped her cheek in his hand again before sweeping his thumb over her lower lip. 'I love you _so much, _Maria, and not being able to tell you that has been torture. I've missed you so much. I've missed holding you and I've missed talking to you, but...but more than that…' He shuffled a bit closer to her on the settee, 'more than that, I've missed being able to do this.'

Before she even had time to process his words his lips were on hers and her waist was caught in his hands. She knew that the right thing to do would be to put a stop to this and reveal that she was with Stefan, but it seemed as though she wasn't in control of her actions and couldn't keep herself from slipping her arms around his neck. Oh, had she missed kissing him like this.

She had thought that, when he ran his tongue along her lower lip, she would wake up and end their kiss, but that didn't happen. Rather, she stroked her fingers against the hair at the nape of his neck and parted her lips so that he could deepen the kiss. His tongue waltzed with hers with ease and - within moments - she had left the space next to him and moved into his lap.

'_I should tell him.' _She said to herself when their kiss reached a natural conclusion quite some time later. '_This isn't fair on him and it isn't fair on Stefan either. This needs to end right now.'_

Once again, however, it seemed as though she wasn't in control of her actions as she shuffled out of his lap and stood up before extending her hand to him. When he slipped his hand into hers and got up from the settee she pressed a kiss onto his lips, laced her fingers with his and led him out of the room. She then led him through the foyer and up the staircase to her room.

* * *

It was a few hours later when she began to rouse from the slumber that had claimed her after she and Georg had made love, a contented sigh escaping her as the satin bed sheets were so smooth against her skin. She reached out to drape her arm over Georg's stomach after a short time, but when her hand found nothing but the comforter she opened her eyes and frowned.

For a second, she thought that Georg had gotten up and left whilst she had slept, but then she heard the sound of running water from her en suite and sighed with relief at knowing that he was just taking a shower. She rolled onto her back in order to look up at the ceiling after a few minutes, a satisfied smile on her lips as she tucked an arm underneath her head and settled.

She knew that what had happened between herself and Georg a few hours ago shouldn't have happened. She knew that she shouldn't have let herself get so carried away, but she had and so there was no point in worrying about it now. The thought of hurting Stefan broke her heart, of course it did, but she had come to realise that...that she didn't love him as deeply as Georg.

Her love for him had come from her pain of being separated from Georg, she knew that now. It had come from her loneliness. She had wanted a companion - someone to hold her and mean it when they said that they loved her - and Stefan had done all three of those things and more over the last few days. Now that she knew the truth, however, she just wanted to be Georg's.

There was so much more passion in her relationship with Georg.

His kisses were deep and drugging whereas Stefan's kisses were always simple and hesitant.

Stefan was a good man and she knew that he was going to find his soulmate one day...but she wasn't that woman. She longed for passion and adventure and she knew that - if she were to be with Georg - she would have both of those things for however long remained for her on the earth. She knew that no-one would ever manage to make her feel more loved than Georg did.

When the shower stopped she knew that Georg had finished freshening up and that he would be coming back into the room in no time at all, and so she sat up a little and held the covers a little tighter around herself whilst leaning back against the headboard. When Georg appeared in the doorway to her en suite in just his trouser bottoms, a warm smile appeared on her lips.

He looked so much better than he had done when he had shown up on her doorstep.

She had told him that he could use one of her father's spare razors so that he could shave and she had to admit that - without the patches of stubble on his jawline and chin - he looked so much more handsome. 'Look who's awake at last.' He chuckled whilst leaving the en suite and re-entering her bedroom, a giggle escaping her lips as he started to approach the bed again.

'When I woke up and you weren't here, I thought you had left.' She admitted.

He shook his head as he pulled back the quilt and got back into bed with her. 'I would never do that to you.' He reassured her after lying down, Maria offering him a smile as she laid herself down before resting her head on his chest. 'I love you.' He said before kissing her on the head.

'I love you too.' She sighed whilst draping her arm over his stomach.

The two of them laid in a comfortable silence together for the next few minutes, Georg using his fingertips to draw circles onto the small of her back whilst she listened to the beating of his heart and snuggled against him. 'You're quiet…' She heard him mumble against her head.

'I'm just thinking about how much time has been wasted.' She admitted before tilting her head back on his chest and looking up at him. 'You and I should have been in Vienna days ago.' The sadness that she felt due to missing out on the trip that they'd planned was clear in her eyes.

'How many days is it until your father comes home?' He asked her.

'He was supposed to be coming home in three, but something has come up and so he's staying there for another five.' She explained as she ran the tips of her fingers up and down his side.

After kissing her on the forehead he drew back to look into her eyes.

'Let's go.' He told her. 'Let's get dressed and drive to Vienna.'

'Now?' She raised her brow at him.

'If you want to.' He smiled. 'We can both pack a bag and spend the next four days there.'

She felt her heart swell. 'I want to. I _really _want to.'

He could tell that something was playing on her mind.

'Speak to me, sweetheart.' He told her as he ran a hand over her hair. 'What's the matter?'

She looked at him for a second before sighing. 'When we were apart, Stefan and I grew closer. Nothing has been settled - he hasn't asked me to court him and he hasn't proposed - but we _have_ kissed and he _has_ spent a couple of nights here since father left. I think he thinks I want a relationship with him, but I don't. I think I was only in love with him because I missed you.'

Georg ran the back of his hand down her cheek.

'So...what do you want to do, my love?' He inquired.

'I want to be with you.' She whispered. 'I want everything that we talked about weeks ago.'

He nodded. 'What are you going to do?'

'I'm not going to do anything until we're back from Vienna.' She admitted. 'I just want to have a couple of stress-free days with you and then I'll explain everything to Stefan when we come home. I'll tell him about father and Amelie and how they played us against each other. He's so loving, I'm sure that he'll understand and give us his blessing.' She let him kiss her forehead.

'What are you going to do about Amelie?' He asked.

She felt her blood boil at just the mention of her name. 'I'm going to tell Frau Schneider about her affair with father and ask her to give her her notice. She won't risk scandal and trust me, she won't want a maid in this villa who's a bad influence for the younger maids.' She told him.

'Do you want me to go home and pack a bag whilst you talk to her? Then, when I come for you, we can go straight to Vienna?' The skin of her back was warm under his hand as he stroked it.

'I think that's a good idea.' She smiled before pressing her lips against his.

Once their kiss had reached a natural conclusion, Georg drew her a little closer to him. 'I never thought that it was possible to miss someone as much as I've missed you.' He told her softly.

'I know,' She ran her fingers through his hair, 'but we're together again now and - to me - that's all that matters. I don't want to think about what's happened over the last couple of weeks.'

'Let's draw a line through that, then.' He told her. 'We won't speak about it again.'

'Thank you.' She whispered before kissing his cheek and settling in his arms once more.

She was unsure of what the next few days in Vienna with Georg were going to be like.

However, there was one thing that she knew for sure.

They weren't going to be dull.

* * *

As she sat on the window seat in Georg's bedroom at his villa in Vienna and gazed out over the gardens that evening whilst waiting for him to finish up in the en suite, Maria smiled. The villa was smaller than the one he owned in Salzburg, as he had said, but just as - if not more - cosy and beautiful. She knew that - when the two of them were married - they would be so comfy.

The garden at the back of the villa was so large - large enough for their future children to play in - and there was a pond near the trees which homed fish that she knew she would love to show to their children when they were old enough. This villa was perfect. It was quite far from Salzburg and her father and it was big enough for she and Georg to raise a loving family in.

The sound of the en suite door opening made her turn in place on the window seat and look in the direction of the bathroom, she and Georg sharing a smile when he exited the en suite and she stood from the window seat. 'I could be biased, but I think that I have the most captivating dinner date in Vienna.' He grinned after walking over to her and taking her waist in his hands.

'That's not being biased,' She rested her hands on his chest, 'that's called being a charmer.'

The two of them laughed together before she rose up onto her tiptoes and left several languid kisses on his lips. 'What on earth did I do to deserve that?' He asked her as he held her closer.

'Nothing.' She stroked his chest. 'I...I've just missed kissing you, that's all.'

He chuckled before leaning forward to kiss her forehead. 'You're adorable, you know that?'

'So I've been told.' She smirked.

After blessing her with a smile he gave her waist a squeeze before letting go of it and walking over to the nightstand on his side of the bed, Maria's brow creasing a little as he opened the drawer in it and pulled out a box. He then walked back over to her before holding it out for her to take. 'What is it?' She inquired after accepting the box from him, Georg chuckling in reply.

'A late birthday present.' He smiled. 'Open it.'

'You spoil me.' She shook her head with a smile of her own before untying the ribbon that was around the box and lifting off the lid, a soft gasp of surprise escaping her when her gaze fell on the diamond necklace. 'Oh, Georg, it's beautiful…' She breathed when she gazed up at him.

He took a step closer to her before resting a hand on her hip. 'It belonged to my mother.'

'Oh?' She replied.`

'When she was on her deathbed I was sat with her and she gave the necklace to me. She told me to keep it safe and - when I met the woman that I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with - to give it to her.' He ran a hand over her hair. 'That woman is you, darling, I know it.'

Maria felt tears of happiness brim in her eyes.

'I'll take care of it, I promise.' She told him as she stroked the necklace with her thumb,

'I know you will.' He nodded. 'Do you want me to put it on for you?'

Maria nodded her own response before handing him the box and turning around, a gentle sigh escaping her as he put the necklace around her neck before clasping it at the base of it. Once the necklace was secured she felt him rest his hands on her hips from behind and leave a soft kiss to the back of her neck. 'So beautiful.' He mumbled against her skin before peeling back.

She turned around to face him once again and rested her hands on his chest, the love that she had for him deepening as he wrapped his arms around her. 'We should go…' She ran both of her hands up and down the front of his chest through his shirt, 'our reservation is at half nine.'

'I love you.' He grazed her nose with his.

'And I love you.' She told him before taking a step back from him and taking his hand. 'So much.'

The two of them then shared one last kiss before she guided him out of his room and down to the first floor so that they could leave the villa, climb into his car and drive to the restaurant.

* * *

Georg ran the backs of his fingers down Maria's cheek in a soothing fashion whilst he laid next to her in silence late that evening, a smile on his lips as her cheeks still held the perfect blush from their lovemaking and her eyelashes batted against them whilst she dreamt. He could see that she was at peace and he was positive that she was the most beautiful woman on earth.

He had to admit that he'd been a little worried about her when the two of them had come back to the villa after dinner and the fact that she had vomited almost as soon as they had retired to bed for the night hadn't helped but, when he had been rubbing her back and kneeling beside her on the en suite floor, she had reassured him that she was alright. Was she really though?

She always had been one to minimise things.

He hadn't pressed her on the matter, however, because he knew that she had felt tired and so he had just continued to support her whilst she had vomited. She hadn't vomited again since then and he was taking that as a good sign. Perhaps it _had _been nothing for him to fret about.

Maria shivered beside him after a couple of minutes and so he covered her a little further with the comforter before tightening his hold of her and bringing her close to his chest, her sleepy murmur causing his love for her to deepen before he nuzzled her hairline with his lips. Holding her close whilst she snoozed was another one of his favourite things about being her suitor.

He drew circles into her lower back as he held her close for a time, but when his eyes began to sting he knew that he needed to close them and get some rest. 'Goodnight, my darling,' He let his lips graze Maria's temple as he spoke to her and stroked his thumb against her lower back, 'pleasant dreams.' He then gave her a peck on the temple before turning to flick off the lamp.

After turning back to her he allowed her to bury her head beneath his chin and hide her face in his throat, a chuckle of adoration leaving him as he brought one hand to the back of her head in order to cradle it in his palm.

He brushed his thumb against her hair as his eyes fell shut and he waited for slumber to claim him, a sigh of happiness leaving him as, for the first time in many weeks, he felt whole again.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed that! I think that the next few chapters will be M&G fluff because we all need that right now, don't we? Anyways, I'm so grateful that you stayed with me through M&G's rough patch and things can only go uphill from here...right? I hope that you'll all leave me a review (if you have the time) to let me know what you thought of this chapter and I'll see you all in the next one :) x**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: A short chapter this time I'm afraid, guys, sorry! I hope that you all enjoy though and happy reading x**

* * *

Maria's hands wrung together in front of her whilst she paced back and forth in the bedroom that she and Georg were sharing the afternoon after next, her heart racing within her chest as the words that the doctor had said echoed in her mind and she tried her hardest to think of how she was going to explain to Georg that...that she was pregnant. She was so terrified.

She wasn't worried that he would leave her once she had told him because she knew that he wasn't that kind of man. She wasn't worried about what the next few months would bring with them either, if she was honest. What was most worrying to her was the thought of her father finding out. If he found out about the baby he would instantly know it was Georg's.

The thought of him bringing the slightest harm to Georg made her feel sick to her stomach.

She hadn't even wanted to go and see the doctor that morning; she had told Georg that she was fine after she had thrown up, but he had insisted that she allowed him to book her an appointment with the doctor just to be on the safe side. The only reason she had given him permission to do so was because she had known that she wasn't going to change his mind.

After a time she sat down on the window-seat and sighed as she laid her hand on her belly through her blouse, a small smile curling her lips when she looked down and ran her thumb over the area where her unborn child was lying. Knowing that there was a tiny human being growing and developing deep inside of her body made her heart flutter. It was so amazing!

She was going to be a mother.

In less than nine months she was going to have a newborn to love and take care of - a small, defenceless newborn whose life would depend on her and the milk that her body would make for it. She had dreamt about being a mother for so many years. She had never once imagined that she would become pregnant at such a young age - of course she hadn't - but she had.

There was no going back now.

She sat in silence on that window-seat for quite some time before the sound of the bedroom door opening alerted her and she lifted her head, she and Georg smiling at each other as he walked into the room before closing the door and approaching her. 'You were silent the whole drive home.' He said once he had sat down beside her. 'Are you sure everything's all right?'

Knowing that she couldn't shut him out any longer, Maria turned towards him before slipping her hand into one of his and bringing their joined hands into her lap. 'I'm not ill,' Her voice was soft as she spoke to him, 'but...but there's a reason why I've been feeling so nauseous.' When he nodded for her to carry on she sighed and squeezed his hand. 'I'm...I'm pregnant.'

The shock that Georg felt at her words was evident in his eyes as he held her hand and ran his thumb back and forth across her knuckles, her heart pounding within her chest as she waited for him to say something. 'I…' She started when he still hadn't spoken after several long moments, 'I understand if you're upset or...or annoyed about this, but I...I just don't…'

She stopped talking when he lifted his free hand to her cheek and stroked her skin with his thumb. 'Oh, my love, I'm not annoyed.' He reassured her. 'I admit that it came as rather a shock, but I'm not upset about it.' Maria let out a sigh of relief as she looked into his eyes.

'You're not?' She asked.

He shook his head. 'How could I be upset about something that I've wanted from the moment we started courting? We both want this, Maria, we've admitted that more times than I can count. I know that we didn't expect it to happen so soon; I know that when you and I talked about having children we meant in a few years from now, but it doesn't upset me one bit.'

'I'm so glad.' She replied before he used the hand that was on her cheek to draw her to him for a long and soft kiss. The two of them parted with a smack when their kiss reached its end and when he pulled back from her, Georg was able to sense that she felt quite troubled.

'What is it?' He released her hand so that he could wrap his arm around her middle and draw her closer to him, Maria sighing as she rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at him.

'I suppose I'm just worried that father will notice when I start showing. If he figures out that I'm pregnant then it won't take him a minute to put two-and-two together and realise that you're the father.' She brought her hand to his chest and snuggled against him. 'I know him, Georg, I know that he'll forbid me to see you again and I don't want him to ruin everything.'

Georg lifted his free hand to her cheek and stroked it with the backs of his fingers. 'We...we could always…' He watched his love's forehead furrow ever-so-slightly when he hesitated.

'We could always what?' She pressed whilst stroking the front of his chest.

'Elope.' He said. 'Darling, if we want to we can be married in less than three days.'

Maria felt her heart flutter. 'Goodness…'

'I don't want to pressure you into anything.' He sighed. 'I know that you're overwhelmed as it is and the last thing I want to do is make things worse, but...but I want you to consider it.'

She shook her head as tears stung her eyes. 'I want to be your wife more than anything else in the world. I want to elope with you, Georg, but we can't elope right this minute. We need to go home so that I can speak to Stefan and...and so we can tell father that we know that he and Amelie were behind all that happened. He needs to know that he can't control me.'

'Maria, you're not a child anymore.' He reminded her. 'You're twenty years old and no matter what he says when we speak to him - whether he makes threats or tells you that you have to stay - we can still leave. He can't force you to do anything now, my love.' He said to her.

'He's controlled every aspect of my life for the last eight years.' Her voice was barely higher than a whisper. 'He's been throwing men who are - more often than not - twice my age at me since my sixteenth birthday and...and knowing that he can't do any of those things now feels so incredible.' She smiled as he took her chin on his finger and turned her gaze to his.

The two of them looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds whilst Georg ran his thumb along the sharpness of her jaw, her eyes falling closed of their own accord when he brought her closer and captured her lips with his. Their kiss started off warm and slow, but when he stroked the seam of her bottom lip with his tongue and she parted her lips it turned deep.

On instinct, she wrapped both arms around his neck and started to tease the hairs that she discovered at the nape of it with her fingers. She felt him take hold of her waist and bring her close as she busied herself with playing with his hair, a sigh escaping her whilst her lips curled up into a smile beneath his and allowed her hands to drop to the sides of his neck.

When the two of them parted when the urge to breathe became too insistent after a couple of minutes they pressed their foreheads against each other's, their eyes still shut as their breath mingled and they held each other close. 'How about we stay in tonight?' He stroked her waist through her blouse. 'If I'm honest, all I feel like doing is holding you all evening.'

'Mmm...that sounds perfect.' She hummed in delight. 'I think we still have champagne left.'

'Shall I go down to the kitchens and get it?' He asked when they both opened their eyes.

'I'll warm up the bed whilst you're gone.' Was all she said in response before kissing him on the cheek, slipping from his arms and walking over to the bed that they were sharing. She then unbuttoned her blouse and dropped it to the floor, wriggled out of her skirt and slipped her feet out of her pumps before climbing into bed and reclining back against the pillows.

From the bed, she watched Georg rise from the window-seat and walk over to her before he leaned down and gave her two lingering kisses. He sucked on her lower lip when he brought their kiss to an end and she only opened her eyes when he ran a hand over her hair. 'You're going to be an incredible wife and mother.' He laid his hand on her belly through her slip.

'I'll try my best.' She reassured him before snuggling further down beneath the velvet quilt.

'That's all I'm ever going to expect from you.' He smiled. 'I love you so much, you know.'

'I know you do,' She sighed happily, 'and I love you just as much.'

The two of them then shared one last kiss before Georg turned around in order to walk out of the room and go downstairs to get the champagne, Maria smiling to herself as she laid down and waited for him to return. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so...at peace.

In less than a fortnight she was going to be the spouse of the man of her dreams and in less than nine months she was going to be giving birth to their baby. She was going to be a wife, a mother and a Baroness all at once and just the notion of that both scared and thrilled her.

She didn't know what married life with Georg had in store, but she knew one thing.

It was going to be so exciting.

* * *

The sensation of Georg's fingers caressing the pale skin of her belly made her smile when she was lying with her back to his chest in the aftermath of their lovemaking a few hours later, her eyes half-lidded as her head was resting on the arm that he'd slipped underneath it and she could feel his chest rising and falling against her spine. She was so comfy and content.

Earlier that evening, when the two of them had been cuddling and drinking champagne, Georg had moved down the bed to leave kisses on her stomach through her slip and she had been unable to keep the tears from filling her eyes. He had made it so clear to her that he adored their baby and she hadn't even begun to show yet. He was going to make the best father.

She knew that he would never try to control their child like her father had controlled her for the last eight years. She knew that he would never allow their child to think that he didn't love it and that it meant nothing to her like her father had allowed her to think. Their little one was going to be so privileged to have him for its father, she was so certain about that.

After lying in silence in his arms for a few minutes longer she felt him brush his lips against the base of her neck. It was a soft kiss, soft and simple, but it still caused her to shiver in response. 'I can't believe our baby's growing beneath my hand.' His lips caressed the shell of her ear whilst he spoke after resting his hand on her stomach. 'It's going to be so perfect.'

She turned over in his arms and laid her head on his shoulder before sliding her arm over his middle, a sigh leaving her when he wrapped an arm around her and lifted his spare hand to her face to ease her hair back from it. 'I want to spend every night like this.' She told him. 'No father, no Amelie, just you and me alone in this bed.' She caressed his side soothingly.

'Don't worry,' He pressed a kiss onto her forehead, 'in a few days we'll be able to have that.'

'I can't tell you how happy that makes me.' She murmured as her eyes drifted closed.

Georg chuckled as he could tell that she was exhausted before he snugged her closer and gave her lower back a stroke. 'Go to sleep, sweetheart.' He whispered before turning off the lamp.

'I am.' She replied as she tangled her leg with his beneath the covers. 'Goodnight, Georg.'

'Goodnight, Maria.' He said into the darkness whilst settling down with her. 'Sweet dreams.'

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading this chapter and I apologise again for it being so short. I'm also quite sad to say that this fic is almost at its end! I'm not sure how many more chapters there will be, but I don't think there will be too many. I will definitely be doing an epilogue though, so I hope you'll enjoy that. If you have the time, I would be so grateful if you would leave me a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Thank you all so much and I'll see you next time x**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Okay, so I'm really not sure what I think of this chapter. I think it's all right, but I'm a little nervous. I hope that you all enjoy it though and happy reading!**

* * *

Georg set the breakfast tray down on the nightstand next to the bed once he had re-entered the bedroom on the morning of his and Maria's return to Salzburg, a tender smile curling his lips when he turned his head towards her and saw that she was still fast asleep on her front beneath the quilt. It pleased him to see that she was resting. She had had a terrible night.

He had woken to her climbing out of bed and heading for the ensuite in order to vomit several times through the night and, as he had listened to her retch and cough each time, his heart had ached for her. There weren't words to describe just how proud he was of her though. She was so young and being put through so much and yet she had never grumbled about her lot.

Once he had lowered himself down onto the edge of the bed he reached out to brush her hair out of her face and felt his heart swell when her face was revealed to him. He was positive that there wasn't another woman more enchanting than her. Her eyelashes were so long and her lips were so full and she had the smoothest skin he had ever felt. She was so gorgeous.

The thought of waking her so that she could have something to eat before they had to pack their things and start driving back to Salzburg made his heart sink, but he knew that once she had sorted things with her father and Stefan they would never be separated again. She would be his wife in the eyes of the law and - finally - they would be able to settle down.

They would be able to enjoy the next few months of her pregnancy and anticipate the arrival of their first child without having to be anxious about a thing. Everything would be perfect.

He watched her sleep and listened to the sound of her rhythmic breathing for a few minutes longer before shifting closer to her and leaning down to brush a kiss against the side of her face. 'Morning, sleepyhead.' He moved his lips to her ear in order to whisper into it before he traced the ridge of her ear with his nose and pulled back when she slowly started to rouse.

She shifted beneath the quilt for a time before her eyes fluttered open as she used the tips of her fingers to tuck a lock of hair back beneath her ear, the two of them sharing a smile when she glanced up at him and rolled to lie on her back. 'What time is it?' She asked him.

'Half-past eight.' He replied before gesturing to the breakfast tray. 'I made you breakfast.'

She turned her head in the direction of the nightstand and took in the sight of the fruit and muesli that he had prepared for her before turning back to him, bringing her hand out from under the quilt and caressing his cheek. 'You do know that - if you keep spoiling me like this - I'm going to expect you to continue with it once we're married.' She said with a chuckle.

'Oh, don't worry,' He leaned down to kiss her hairline, 'I intend to spoil you all the more once you're my Baroness.' He watched her roll her eyes lovingly at him before leaving the bed for a moment so that he could retrieve her dressing gown. 'Sit up.' He told her gently before, once she had done as he had said, holding the dressing gown as she slid her arms into the sleeves.

He then closed the garment around her before tying the sashes around her middle to keep it closed, Maria releasing a sigh of contentment as she reclined back against her pillow whilst he reached for her breakfast tray. The two of them shared a languid kiss once he had set it down in her lap before he caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and smiled at her.

'I'm going to go and shower and get changed whilst you eat, all right? Then I can pack whilst you're getting dressed so that we can start driving back to Salzburg as soon as possible.' He felt his love for her deepen when she nodded after taking a sip of her coffee, his eyes falling closed when he leaned in to kiss her on the forehead. 'I love you.' He murmured against her.

'I love you too.' She reassured him before he rose from the bed and headed for the ensuite.

She heard the sound of the shower going when she started to eat the muesli that was in the bowl in front of her and she turned her head in the direction of the ensuite, a smile gracing her features as she thought about how - in just a few days - every morning would start just like this. Her life, for the first time, was going to be perfect in every way, shape and form.

And she couldn't wait.

* * *

'He's here.' She said when she walked down the stairs towards Georg after peering out of the upstairs window and seeing her father drive through the front gates to the villa after lunch, the nervousness that she was feeling evident in her eyes when she made it to the bottom of the stairs and slipped her hand into his. She smiled when he gave her hand a soft squeeze.

'You don't have to be afraid.' He told her. 'I'm here and I won't let anything happen to you.'

When she looked up at him she saw that there was nothing but love for her living in his eyes and it made her heart swell before she rose up onto her toes, leaned against him and left a kiss on his lips. 'I know.' She whispered once their kiss had ended and she had gone back to her mediocre height. 'I can't even begin tell you just how much knowing that comforts me.'

They both heard the sound of her father closing the door to his car after a few seconds and then, not even a minute later, the front door opened and they watched him enter the villa. No-one said a word as he closed the front door behind himself and removed his overcoat and hat, but once he'd descended the steps, Werner looked at Georg and then at his daughter.

'Would you care to explain what _he's_ doing in my home?' He almost growled.

'I said that he could come in.' She replied.

'And what made you think that you had the right to do that?' He asked.

'Well, it wasn't as though I could ask someone if he was allowed to come in.' She pointed out. 'I was the only one here since you all but abandoned me to drive off to Innsbruck last week.'

Her father looked between her and Georg once again.

'I don't understand why you would give him the time of day.' He scoffed.

'It's because I love him, father,' She laced her fingers with Georg's, 'with all my heart.'

'After everything he did to you?' His brow creased. 'After he wrote that disgusting letter?'

Maria looked him right in the eye. 'You mean after _you_ wrote that disgusting letter?'

'What on earth are you talking about?' He snapped.

'We know that you and Amelie were behind everything that happened.' Georg spoke up before Maria could have chance to as he gave her hand a tender squeeze. 'We know that you wrote the letter and that Amelie fabricated everything she said to me when she came to my door.'

Werner shook his head. 'Neither of you have the slightest bit of proof.'

'You're right.' Maria spoke up. 'We don't have proof. The fact that the two of you have been having an extramarital affair explains why you would be working together, though.' She saw her father's eyes widen a little and she had to fight to keep the smirk from forming on her lips. 'I caught the two of you the night before you left for Innsbruck.' She almost snarled. 'The way you touched and kissed her made me feel even more nauseous than I already did.'

'You little sneak.' He glared.

'That's rich.' She retorted. 'You and Amelie have been sneaking around for months and that's obvious since you're the father to her unborn baby. Why else would you have cared so much? Why else would you have given her every afternoon off? You once said that - if she could see me now - mother would be so disappointed in me. Well, honestly, I think she would feel the exact same about you. She wouldn't be singing your praises, anyway.' She saw his fury grow.

'So, what now?' He raised his brow. 'Are you going to expose me?'

She remained silent for a second. 'That depends.'

'On what?' His voice was dark as he took a step closer to her.

Her heart swelled in her chest when she felt Georg tighten his hold on her hand and pull her a bit closer to him. He was so protective. 'It depends on whether you give me what I want.'

'Go on.' He pressed.

'When Georg and I walk through that door I never want to see you again. I want you to let me marry him and spend the rest of my life with him in peace. If you try to contact me; if you telephone or write a telegram, I swear I'll expose you and Amelie and every door for miles will be slammed in your face.' Her eyes told Werner that she was serious. 'You've been warned.'

Werner nodded. 'All right. I want you to know one thing, though. There will be no money. You won't get anything from me. The moment you walk through that door, you're no longer my daughter.' Instead of feeling upset, Maria allowed a smile to appear on her lips at his words.

'I'm glad we're on the same page.' She admitted. 'Now, father, if you don't mind, Georg and I have somewhere to be.' And, with that, she and Georg stepped past her father and began to walk through the foyer in the direction of the front door. Not once did she look back at him.

Once the two of them were outside she closed the door behind them, a gentle giggle escaping her when Georg pressed her up against the villa and caught her lips with his in a warm kiss. She brought her hand to his face once their kiss had ended and gave his cheek a stroke with the backs of her fingers. 'That,' She beamed, 'was the second best thing I have ever done.'

'What was the first?' He smiled as he held her by the waist.

'Falling in love with you.' She moved her hand to the back of his neck and brought him down to her so that she could capture him in a kiss that was immediately passionate yet tender. After kissing him for several long seconds she rested her free hand on his chest and pushed him back from her. 'There is going to be plenty of time for this later when we're in Vienna and I'm your wife, darling,' She smirked at him, 'but maybe we...should go and get married.'

'There is nothing that I want to do more.' He then took her hand in his and led her down the driveway towards the gates, the two of them laughing together as they left the villa grounds and hurried towards his motor-car so that they didn't have to wait a second longer than was necessary to be pronounced man and wife. They'd both wasted far too much time as it was.

* * *

As she gazed up at him through half-lidded eyes when the two of them were lying in silence in the aftermath of their lovemaking that evening, Georg smiled as he messed with her hair and revelled in her perfection from where he was propped up on his elbow. She had been his bride for almost eight hours now and yet he was still finding it difficult to truly believe it.

Perhaps it was because he had been waiting for this exact moment for so long.

He knew that she was tired and that she was fighting with all her might against the urge to close her eyes and fall asleep. He knew that she felt terrible about being so exhausted, but he understood completely. She was growing their son or daughter. Her body was working much harder than it had ever worked before and it didn't surprise him that she was so worn out.

He just hoped that, now that they were married and her father had agreed to let them both live their lives in peace, she would be able to relax. The last thing that he wanted was for her to worry about things and put her health and the health of their unborn baby in danger. Her life had been so filled with stress and worry and he hoped that that stopped tonight.

She would never have to worry about a thing again.

'You're so tired…' He whispered when he looked into her eyes again. 'Why not go to sleep?'

'But,' She yawned, 'but it's our wedding night. We've both waited so long for this.'

He nodded. 'We have, but your health is more important to me than this night. I'm not going to make love to you when you're this worn out, sweetheart, because I would see it as taking advantage of you and I never want to do that.' He watched the corners of her mouth curl upwards into a smile. 'We can have a do-over wedding night tomorrow night when you're not so worn out.'

'Have I ever told you how much I love you?' She asked as she cupped his cheek in her hand.

He turned his head to brush a kiss against the palm of her hand before turning his gaze back to her and smiling. 'Yes, many times.' He told her. 'And I love you just as much, my darling.'

Her eyes fell closed of their own accord when he leaned down to press one, two, three kisses onto her lips. He lingered somewhat on the last kiss before pulling back from her, a chuckle escaping him when he saw that her eyes were still shut. 'Come here, my gorgeous Baroness.' He told her as he laid down beside her and opened his arms so that she could enter them.

Then, whilst she snuggled into him and laid her head on his chest, he reached out to switch off the lamp on his bedside table. He felt her fingertips slip into the thatch of hair on his chest as they laid in the dark together, his hold of her tightening when he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. 'Goodnight, my precious one.' He nuzzled his lips into her hair.

'Goodnight, Georg.' She sighed into the darkness. 'Sleep well.'

'The same to you, Maria,' He stroked her back, 'the very same to you.'

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading and I hope that you all enjoyed! I have a question now...should the next chapter be the epilogue? I just think it would be a little better than doing a couple more chapters of random fluff, haha! The epilogue will be set about three years after this chapter if you think I should do the epilogue next. Please let me know in your review what you think that I should do, and I'll see you all soon! x**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Please enjoy the final instalment of this fic, The Epilogue! (I apologise that it's been so long in coming!)**

* * *

_**3 Years Later**_

'It's all right, sweetheart, I'm coming,' Maria soothed whilst stroking her hair out of her face as she climbed out of bed after turning on the lamp on her bedside table, her gaze fixed on the bassinet on the other side of the room as her two-month-old son's screams of hunger continued. When she stopped at his bassinet she peered in at him and tutted, Johannes continuing to cry as he stared at her. 'I don't think there's a need for quite so much noise.' She whispered before leaning in and lifting him into the cradle of her arms.

As soon as his gaze had landed on her breast he quietened and set about trying to nurse through her nightgown, Maria giggling as she watched him suckle and heard him grunt in frustration at not getting any milk. 'Patience is a virtue, my little one.' She gave his back several little pats whilst carrying him over to her bed, a smile curving her lips when she looked at her husband and saw that he was awake and observing her with a tender gaze.

'Oh dear, now you've woken vati.' She giggled as she looked down at their son once again. Once Georg had pulled the covers back for her she sat down on the bed and leaned back against the headboard, Johannes whimpering at the loss of her warmth when she moved him back so that she could open the front of her nightgown. In just a few seconds she'd opened it, revealed one of her breasts and helped her baby to settle there. He was now calm and content, his head lying in the crook of her arm whilst he suckled at her breast.

She ran the back of her index finger down his cheek as she held him to her chest in one arm, nothing but love for him in her eyes as she held his gaze and revelled in the sounds of satisfaction he was making. When the quilt over her legs shifted she turned her head in Georg's direction before smiling as she watched him sit up beside her. He then moved closer to her and wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulders, her heart swelling when he pecked the side of her head. 'Our children adore you,' He sighed. 'And it's no wonder.'

'Along with you, the three of them are the most precious things in the world to me.' She told him whilst leaning against him, the two of them gazing down at Johannes as he took her milk. 'I still can't believe that, just a couple of years ago, I almost threw our chance of having this away. I never should have thought that you wrote and sent that telegram. I never should have thought that you would be so cruel to me.' She released a sigh when he caressed her arm and nuzzled his nose into the hair he found at the side of her head.

'It wasn't just you.' He reminded her. 'I should have fought to get you back.'

Even now, despite the fact that they had been married for three years and had created three _gorgeous _children in that time, whenever memories of the rocky path they'd gone through in the weeks before their marriage resurfaced it still hurt. The memories were much rarer now, however, especially since their daughters were toddling now and saw to it that the two of them were kept on their toes from dawn 'til dusk. There wasn't much time for the two of them to sit down and do _anything_ these days. Not that they minded.

Their children were their world and they adored spending time with all three of them.

'You got me back in the end.' She reminded him with a soft smile as she gazed up at him.

'Mmm…' He kissed her lips so softly. 'And I got two more beautiful girls that day.'

Maria smiled at knowing that he was referring to how their twins, Clara and Sabine, had been conceived after the two of them had made love for the first time at that hotel. She could still remember the shock she had felt when, as she had been cradling Clara in her arms after her birth, the doctor had listened to her stomach and told her that he'd been able to hear another heartbeat. She had been so ecstatic and terrified all at once.

Everything had been absolutely fine with both of them, however, and now she and Georg had two very lovely – albeit cheeky – two-year-old daughters who would be three in less than a week. 'I'm dreading father's funeral tomorrow. It's almost impossible for the two of them to sit still for a second so that we can take their photograph, so I doubt either of us have a chance of getting them to sit still for an _hour.'_ She said to him with a sigh. 'Perhaps – just this once – we'll have to see if bribing them with some sweets works out.'

'You told me off the last time I did that when we took them to church.' He chuckled.

'Desperate times call for desperate measures.' She smirked.

The two of them fell into silence for a short time after that, their gazes fixed on their son, before Georg started to trace circles onto her arm with the pad of his thumb. 'Are you all right?' He kept his voice gentle as he spoke to her, knowing that she was hurting.

She gave him a silent nod. 'I just wish he and I had made up sooner.'

The two of them had reconciled just months before Johannes had made his appearance. They had been sending telegrams back and forth to each other before then, but purely so that she could send him photographs of the girls and tell him about them. When he'd come to visit her and Georg so that he could meet the girls properly she had felt a little anxious, but over the three days the both of them had decided to move on and make up.

Less than a month later, however, he had sent a telegram to inform her that the doctor had told him that he had had cancer. In his telegram he had told her that it was at such a stage that there was nothing to be done. He had passed away a fortnight ago and even though she tried to put on a brave face around her husband and their children, the pain in her heart was agonizing. The two of them had wasted so much time due to their feud.

She wished that she could go back and change everything; she wished that she could go back to when she and Georg had first married and make up with him, but she couldn't do that. No-one could change the past, no matter how much they wanted to, and so now she had to live with that. She prayed that, for Amelie's sake, she didn't show at the funeral. She had left her father in the final days of his life and taken their three sons with her.

Her father had died alone.

She and Georg had been unable to go down so that she could be with him when he'd died because she, along with Sabine, had been sick and in bed with a terrible cold. Whenever she thought about how Amelie had abandoned her father and taken their children in his final days, she felt the desire to find her and give her a slap burn within her. She never went through with it though, because she knew that being violent never solved anything.

'Your father knew you loved him.' She was brought out of her thoughts by her husband.

'I let him die alone.' A tear rolled down her cheek. 'He had no-one beside him.'

Georg hooked his finger beneath her chin before turning her head toward him and using his thumb to wipe the tear from her skin. 'You and Sabine were so sick when he died, my darling. Neither one of you were well enough to even leave your beds, let alone travel all the way to Salzburg. There was nothing you could have done, Maria, and I won't listen to you blame yourself for your father dying without you being there.' He stroked her face.

'I love you.' She sniffed.

'And I love you,' He reassured her. 'So much.'

He then leaned in to capture her lips in a long and slow kiss, their kiss ending less than a minute later when there was a loud crash of thunder. The two of them sat next to each other in complete silent for a moment, listening, before – as if on cue – a soft wail from the bedroom beside theirs reached their ears. 'Shall I go and get them?' Georg inquired as the wailing continued, Maria nodding in agreement before he kissed her brow warmly.

He then climbed out of bed and put on his dressing gown before using the sashes to tie it shut, walking over to the bedroom door and leaving the room to go and get their little girls. 'That's the peace over and done with, sweetness,' Maria giggled whilst shaking her head as she gazed down at her still nursing son. 'Your big sisters are spending the night in here with us now.' Johannes simply snuffled at her and continued suckling her breast.

Just seconds later, Georg returned to their bedroom with their two daughters perched on his hips. Clara and Sabine both had tear stains on their cheeks as their heads rested on his shoulders and they sucked their thumbs, Maria sighing at the sight before Georg carried them both over to the bed. 'Thunder's scary, mutti.' Clara whimpered whilst she shuffled over to her mother, Maria lacing an arm around her when she reached her side.

'I know, sweet-pea, but you're with me and vati now and we'd never let anything hurt you or your sister, would we?' She teased the ends of the golden curls which cascaded down her back, a smile on her lips when Clara shook her head and snuggled against her. As her husband placed Sabine down on the bed and climbed back in himself, she looked down at Johannes again and giggled when he shivered as Clara stroked the sole of his little foot.

'Johannes is ticklish!' The two-year-old giggled.

Just after she said that, Sabine reached over and stroked the sole of his other foot.

Once again, Johannes shivered and snuffled against their mother's breast which caused Maria and Georg to chuckle before he stroked Sabine's hair. 'Let your brother finish his feed, my darlings, and then you can both give him a kiss before mutti puts him back into bed.' He told the two of them before they nodded and settled down beneath the covers.

As everyone waited for Johannes to finish his feed, Sabine shifted closer to Georg and laid her head on his bare shoulder when he wrapped an arm around her small frame. The two of them shared a smile when she looked up at him and he couldn't resist giving her a kiss on the forehead. She, like her sister, was so beautiful and had a heart of pure gold.

That didn't surprise him though, considering Maria was their mother.

Both of them were the double of her with their golden hair and bright blue eyes and he loved that about them. Even their personalities were the same as hers. The two of them were so polite and caring to everyone they met, regardless of whether that was an adult or a child, and they were always eager to help people when possible. They were precious.

'Want kiss, vati,' Sabine brought him out of his thoughts by patting his chest.

He brought his free hand up to push her hair out of her face and back beneath her ear at her words before pressing his lips to hers in a soft peck, a chortle escaping him when he looked at Clara and saw that she had a somewhat hopeful expression on her face. 'Is vati right in thinking that you want a kiss as well, darling?' He asked with a tender smile.

'Yes please.' She replied before leaving her mother's side for a moment and leaning over her sister in order to press her lips against her father's, the two of them smiling as she pulled back from him before she returned to her mother and let her slip an arm around her again. 'Mutti, why is Johannes boring? All he does is eat, sleep and wail all the time!'

Maria laughed as she unwrapped her arm from around her daughter and lifted Johannes to her shoulder after he had drawn back from her breast, her son's head resting in the crook of her neck whilst she alternated between patting and rubbing his back. 'He's just a baby, Clara, that's all he knows how to do. You and your sister were just like him once.'

'We were boring?' She looked at Sabine before meeting her mother's gaze again.

Maria shook her head. 'Not at all.'

'We loved watching both of you learn how do to do things.' Georg added. 'When you were six months old, Clara, you used to put your feet in your mouth all the time and _you_, little miss,' He tickled Sabine's waist which caused her to giggle. 'You wouldn't stop tugging on my hair whenever I carried you somewhere.' He shared a smile with his lovely little girls.

'What we're saying, my darlings, is that the more you watch Johannes the more you'll be able to notice about him.' Maria clarified when she turned her gaze to Clara and Sabine.

Once she was certain that her daughters were satisfied she pressed a kiss to the side of Johannes' head whilst continuing to coax up his wind, a sigh escaping her when he let out a burp after just a few minutes. 'Right, then,' She said whilst bringing him back into the cradle of her arms and turning to her girls. 'Do you want to give him a bedtime kiss?'

The sparkle in her daughters' eyes answered that question for her.

Clara was the first to press a little kiss onto her baby brother's hairline, her forefinger finding his cheek before she gave it a stroke and allowed Sabine to give him a goodnight kiss as well. 'You two are the best big sisters in all the world.' Maria told them, the look of pride that appeared on their faces warming her heart before she climbed out of bed.

She then carried Johannes back over to his bassinet before easing him down into it and running the backs of her fingers over his dark hair. 'Goodnight, darling…' She whispered whilst easing his pacifier into his mouth before heading back to her bed when he closed his eyes. 'I think it's time for you two sleepyheads to lie yourselves down and sleep, too.'

'Mutti's right,' Georg said. 'We have to be up again to drive to Salzburg in a few hours.'

It didn't take long for Maria to slip back into bed and for all of them to settle beneath the quilt after that, Clara burying her face in her mother's throat after she had turned off the lamp whilst Sabine buried her face in the side of her father's neck. Both of the girls were fast asleep in minutes and Maria and Georg shared a gentle smile in the dark.

'It's time for you to get some sleep too, sweetheart.' He said as he held Sabine close.

'Can I have a kiss?' She whispered.

He chose not to answer her with words, deciding instead to turn his head towards her – being mindful of his little girl – and allowing her to press her lips to his in three delicate kisses. 'I love you so much.' Maria sighed whilst settling down with Clara in her embrace.

'I love you too, Maria,' He reassured her as he closed his eyes. 'More than you know.'

The two of them then snuggled further down beneath the quilt, the slow sound of their daughters' breathing lulling the two of them into a slumber that was pleasant and deep.

* * *

'No black!' Sabine cried as she threw herself to the floor after lunch the following day.

Maria sighed as she gathered her little girl into her arms after using two black bows to tie off the ends of Clara's plaits, Sabine continuing to sniffle and cry in her arms as she sat down on the edge of the bed with her and sat her in her lap. 'Sabine, look at mutti…' She said in a soft voice before the two-year-old tilted her head back and looked at her. 'I know that you like your purple dress, my angel, but _everyone_ wears black at a funeral.'

'Why?' Sabine asked whilst her mother wiped the tears off of her cheeks.

'Out of respect for the person who's passed and to show that we're sad.' Maria told her.

Sabine's lower lip wobbled. 'But…but I don't like black.'

'I know,' Maria cupped her face and kissed her brow. 'But it's not for long. You and Clara only have to wear your black dresses for the funeral and the meal afterwards, but when we go out for dinner with vati later on you can wear your purple dress. Is that all right?'

Her daughter thought for a moment. 'Can I wear my sparkle shoes?'

'You can wear whatever you want as long as you stop these tears, let mutti get your hair done and be a good girl. Do you remember what vati said to you and your sister when we were driving here? The funeral we're going to is for _my_ vati and I'm very sad today, so I need you and Clara and Johannes to help me by being good.' She stroked her hair gently.

'I'm sorry, mutti,' Sabine slipped her arms around her neck. 'I'll be good.'

Maria tightened her hold of her. 'Thank you, my darling. Can I have a kiss?'

Sabine nodded her response before she leaned in and pressed her lips against hers in a soft kiss. 'I love my mutti.' The two-year-old said when she gazed up into her eyes again.

'I love you too,' Maria reassured her. 'Now, is it all right if I get your hair done quickly?'

'Okay.' Sabine replied.

Satisfied, Maria eased her daughter out of her lap before taking her hand and heading over to the dressing table with her. She then lifted her up onto the chair before taking the hairbrush and starting to brush all of the tangles out of her hair. After a time, her husband entered the bedroom with their son cradled in his arms and she shared a smile with him when he kissed her on the cheek. 'You look absolutely stunning.' He said to her.

'Thank you, darling.' She sighed as she set about plaiting the other side of Sabine's hair.

Once Georg had sat down on the edge of the bed, Clara got up from where she had been playing on the floor with her doll and approached him. 'Look at the new dress mutti gave to me, vati.' She told him whilst holding the skirt so that he was able to see the pattern.

'You look so beautiful, Clara,' He said before stroking her cheek and lowering his gaze to Johannes who was calm and silent in the cradle of his arms. 'Isn't your sister beautiful?'

'Silly vati,' Clara giggled, 'Johannes can't talk!'

Georg chuckled along with her. 'Oh yes, of course.'

When she had finished putting Sabine's hair into a French plait, Maria turned to Georg and thought for a second. 'Did you remember to give Johannes his milk?' She asked him.

'Yes.' He nodded.

'Did you remember to change him before you got him dressed?' She raised her brow.

Noticing how stressed his wife was, he got up from the edge of the bed before heading over to her and wrapping an arm around her waist. 'Look at me,' He instructed after she had stared at his chest for several long seconds, a sigh leaving him when he saw tears in her eyes. 'I've done everything you asked me to, my love. You have enough things playing on your mind as it is; I don't want you worrying about anything else.' He told her lovingly.

'I'm sorry,' She whispered as she looked into his eyes.

'Don't be sorry,' He shook his head before kissing her temple. 'Just take a deep breath.'

She did as she was told before feeling some of the tension leave her.

'Better?' He stroked her back.

She nodded. 'A little.'

'Good,' He smiled. 'Now, we had better get going if we don't want to be late.'

After taking a step back from him, Maria extended her arms to take their son – who, if she was honest, looked dashing in his little suit – from him before kissing his little nose. 'Let's not take the car,' She said to her husband once their daughters had taken hold of his hands. 'The girls have been stuck in the car all morning and they're going to be stuck sitting down for an hour at the church, so I want them to be able to stretch their legs.'

'Right you are.' He replied with a nod before she left the room and he followed her.

In minutes they had left the house and were walking across the gravel toward the front gates, Maria smiling when Sabine came to stand beside her. 'Please can I hold your hand, mutti? I want to walk with you.' Her daughter told her whilst they left the villa grounds.

'Of course, sweet-pea.' She nodded before allowing her to slide her hand into her own.

When she glanced over her shoulder to look at Georg she felt her heart race within her chest at the love she saw in his eyes. Ever since the two of them had been courting he'd always looked at her the same way, as though she was the most beautiful thing in all the world to him, and whenever she caught him looking at her she felt her heart race wildly.

She loved him more than life itself.

And she knew that that would never change.

It took less than ten minutes for them to make it to the church at the end of the lane, but just before she and Georg began to lead the girls up the path which led to the door of the building, she stopped. She then stood and watched as Amelie, the woman who had left her father alone on his deathbed, came breezing down the road with their children.

'I can't believe it…' She shook her head.

When she felt her husband's hand on her back she looked up at him before he began to palm soothing circles into it through her dress. 'Don't pay her any attention, Maria, she's not important. You're here for your father and if there's one thing I won't stand for it's her making today harder for you. Let's just get inside and sit down, all right?' He asked.

With her gaze still fixed on her ex-maid and her…her _stepmother…_Maria nodded slowly.

She then turned on her heel and tightened her hold of Johannes and Sabine's hand, her little girl looking up at her as she allowed her to guide her inside. 'Mutti, who was that?' Sabine asked as she walked with her mother to the front of the church and their seats.

'Just a woman I used to be friends with, Sabbie.' Maria replied whilst they sat down.

'Why don't you let me take him for a while, sweetheart?' Georg asked with a raise of his brow whilst gesturing to their baby from where he was sat on the other side of Sabine.

'Thank you.' She turned to him and allowed him to ease Johannes out of her arms.

Just as soon as Georg had gotten Johannes settled and slid his pacifier into his mouth, Clara decided that she wanted to sit with her mother and so she got down from the pew before walking to her and allowing her to lift her into her lap. 'I can give you snuggles if you need them now, mutti!' She said when she looked up into her eyes and smiled at her.

'Oh, bless you, you little darling.' Maria replied tearfully before kissing her on the brow, the feeling of Sabine snuggling into her side prompting her to gaze down at her. 'I don't see how I could be upset when I have my two darlings to give me snuggles.' She beamed.

Her words caused Sabine and Clara to laugh and snuggle further into her, she and Georg sharing a tender glance when she lifted her gaze from their girls to his own with a sigh. 'Are you all right?' He asked as he reached across to take her hand in his and squeeze it.

'Not really,' She admitted, 'but thank you for asking.'

He lifted her hand up to his lips so that he could press a kiss onto the back of her palm.

'I love you, Maria.' He told her.

'And I love you.' She ran her thumb across his knuckles. 'I always have and I always will.'

* * *

It was later that afternoon when Maria was sat in silence on a bench at the back of the public house where her father's wake was being held, a smile on her lips as her gaze was fixed on her husband and she watched as he and Sabine played and laughed together on the grass. Clara, bless her, had been worn out after the service and burial since she and Sabine had missed their nap and so she had decided to sit in her lap rather than join in.

Now she was sound asleep with her head resting on her shoulder, her lips a little parted as her eyelashes laid flat against her cheeks and her cheeks held a faint blush. She had always been such a mutti's girl. She loved having snuggles with her father, but whenever she wanted to be held until she went to sleep she would always slip into her mother's lap. Some people would say that she was too clingy, but Maria loved holding her close to her.

Even though she and Georg still referred to their girls as their babies, it was clear that the two of them were growing up. Clara knew how to zip up the back of her dresses with no assistance now and Sabine knew how to write the first three letters of the alphabet. She sometimes wished that she could go back to the days when the two of them needed her and Georg to do everything for them, but she knew that she couldn't turn back time.

She didn't mind too much, though.

Her girls made her prouder of them with each day that passed and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that they would continue to do so for years to come. She and Georg weren't done with having children either. Not by a long shot. The two of them had agreed that – when Johannes was around six months old – they were going to start trying for a fourth child. They both desired a large, loving family and they would stop at nothing to have it.

When she felt Clara move in her arms and heard her whimper of dissatisfaction she ran a hand over her hair and began to rock back and forth with her, her other hand stroking her back through her dress until she settled down again and buried her face in the side of her neck. 'Sleep well, schatzi.' She whispered whilst rocking back and forth for a few more moments before stopping and reclining back against the bench with her once again.

After she had watched Sabine and Georg frolic around together for a little while longer she smiled as the two of them began to approach her, Sabine looking exhausted and her husband looking rather proud of himself for tiring her out. 'I think we should start back to the villa, darling.' He told her once he and their little girl had reached the bench, the love that Maria had for her little girl deepening when Sabine placed her head in her lap.

'Yes,' Maria ran her hand over their daughter's hair. 'I think two sleepy girls could do with a nap before we all go for dinner tonight.' She giggled when Sabine looked into her eyes.

'Need nap, mutti.' The two-year-old rubbed at her eye with the back of her hand.

Maria tutted and smirked as she met her husband's gaze. 'Look what you've done to her!'

'You were the one who asked me to wear her out!' He chuckled.

'_Wear her out, Georg,' _She laughed. 'Not drain her completely!'

Georg turned to their little girl before lowering himself down to her height and opening his arms to her. 'Shall vati carry you home, my sweet?' He raised his brow whilst running his hand up and down her spine through her dress once she had walked into his embrace.

'Yes please,' She nodded against his chest. 'I'm tired, vati.'

Georg felt his heart swell in his chest before he lifted her onto his hip and let her rest her head on his shoulder. He then turned back to his wife and smiled when his gaze met hers. 'Let me take Clara from you, Maria. Then you won't have to carry her and push the pram at the same time.' He told her before she started to rouse their daughter a little.

'Mutti?' Clara mumbled when her eyes opened a crack.

'We're going home now, precious,' Maria whispered. 'Your vati's going to carry you.'

Sleepily, Clara turned her head towards her father before Georg stroked her face with the back of his hand. 'Come here.' He told her before allowing her to leave her mother's lap and move closer to him so he could settle her on his other hip. He then rose with her and Sabine, their eyes falling closed as they rested their heads on his strong shoulders. 'You look like you could do with a nap yourself.' He pointed out whilst he studied his wife.

'I might go up for an hour when we get back, if I'm honest,' She replied as she took hold of the railing on Johannes' pram and started to follow him to the gate that led out onto the street. 'I just hope that a certain little von Trapp sleeps for long enough.' She said.

'I'll see to him if he wakes up.' Georg reassured her.

'You don't have to, darling, I was just teasing.' She shook her head.

He met her gaze. 'You never let yourself rest and that's why you get ill so often. You're exhausted, Maria, I can tell and so when we get back to the villa you're going to get into bed and let me take care of everything else.' He caught her rolling her eyes with a smile in response. 'I'm just worried about you and your health, sweetheart, that's all.' He said.

'I know you are,' She laid her hand on the small of his back. 'And I love you for it.'

The two of them shared the softest of kisses then before continuing on up to the villa.

* * *

'Edelweiss, edelweiss, bless my homeland forever…' Even though Clara was almost asleep as it neared ten o'clock that night, Maria went on hand-drawing circles onto her belly as she reached the end of her second lullaby. She had warned her, back at the restaurant, that she would get indigestion if she ate too fast but she hadn't listened to her and was now paying the price for that. 'Is your belly beginning to feel a little better now, angel?'

Clara nodded against her pillowcase as her eyes were half-lidded and her hand was lying next to her head. 'Keep going, mutti. I don't want it to start hurting again.' She told her.

'It won't start hurting again now that you've had some medicine and the pain's worn off.' Maria whispered. 'If you turn over and close your eyes, darling, you'll be sleeping before you know it.' Clara gazed up at her for a few seconds before resting her hand over hers.

'Are you still sad, mutti?' She asked.

Maria sighed. 'A little bit, yes, but I'm happy too because I know my vati's not in pain.'

'Do you love your vati? Like Sabine and I love our vati?' Clara yawned.

Even though she couldn't quite believe that she was doing it, Maria nodded in response. 'Yes, I do love him. We didn't always get along and we argued sometimes, but I – like you to your vati – was his little girl and we both loved each other so much.' She smiled sadly.

'What was he like?' Clara went on asking questions even though her eyes were closed.

Maria couldn't help but laugh. 'Go to sleep, sleepyhead, and I'll tell you in the morning.'

'Night-night.' Her little girl whispered before turning over to face a slumbering Sabine.

'Night-night, my lovelies.' She replied after leaning down to kiss her and Sabine's brows.

Once she was satisfied that both of her daughters were comfortable and at peace she rose from the edge of the bed and turned off the lamp that was sat on the nightstand, a tired sigh escaping her when she walked over to the open bedroom door and made her way out onto the landing. She then left the door ajar before venturing to her own room.

When she entered the bedroom that she and Georg were sharing she looked over at the bed and smiled at him as he was sat up with a book in one hand. 'Is she sound?' He asked.

'Almost.' She nodded. 'I was rubbing her belly and singing to her for ages.'

He chuckled as he closed his book and set it down on the nightstand. 'Maybe she'll learn her lesson and listen to you next time.' He said when she pulled back the covers and got into bed beside him, his arms winding around her on instinct when she laid herself down.

'I doubt it.' She rested her head on his chest with a giggle.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence for rather a long time after that, Georg combing the fingers of one hand through her hair whilst he pressed kisses to her crown and held her close to him with his other hand. It was at times like these, times when he could just hold her in his arms and protect her, that he thought back to how he'd nearly lost her forever just a mere day after she had pushed their darling girls into the world.

Even though the doctor had been thorough in his examination of Clara and Sabine after their arrival, because he had had another birth to attend to, he hadn't been as thorough in his examination of the placenta. In his haste, he had failed to notice that a small part of the placenta had come away and that idiotic mistake had almost taken Maria's life. If she hadn't had noticed the signs of a retained placenta, he wouldn't be cuddling her now.

Whenever he thought back to that day; whenever he thought back to sitting in the cold corridor at the hospital whilst waiting for the piece of placenta to be removed from her body, he was reminded of just how precious she was. She was his wife and Baroness and she was the mother of his children. There wasn't another woman like her on the face of the earth, he was certain of that. No-one could ever match up to his gentle, loving wife.

'You're so gorgeous…' Her words pulled him from his musings as she followed the path of one of his scars from a war wound with her fingers, a sigh leaving him whilst she did so.

'I don't know why you love them so much. They're horrid to look at.' He told her.

Ignoring him, she turned her head and began to brush soft open-mouthed kisses against each scar that she came across. In time, she had kissed up his chest, over his neck and throat, and now she was brushing her lips against the scar between his chin and bottom lip. 'You're so gorgeous.' She repeated her previous words before kissing his lips warmly.

When the two of them parted he ran his hand over her hair.

'I'll never understand why you like them…' He looked into her eyes.

'There isn't a single part of you that I don't _adore.'_ She told him. 'You're _perfect.'_

He blessed her with a smile. 'Are you ever going to tell me why you love all my scars?'

She leaned in so that he could feel her breath on his face. 'Because you love all of mine.'

She then gave him one last kiss before lying down and tugging at his waist so he did the same. Once the two of them were lying side-by-side she laid her head on his shoulder, a sigh of happiness escaping her as she draped her arm over his middle and held him near. 'It's funny. We've been married for three years and yet this is still the first time we've spent the evening in this bed.' She pointed out to him before he gave her face a caress.

'We've come a long way in three years, sweetheart.' He said.

'We certainly have.' She agreed.

'It's strange, isn't it? To think our love was once – in a sense – a forbidden one?' He asked.

Maria giggled, tangling her leg with his under the quilt. 'It's not forbidden now, though.'

'No.' He shook his head. 'Now I'm free to hold you close to me each night, to wrap you in my arms and kiss you senseless whenever I please and to tell the world that you're mine.'

'I love you, Georg von Trapp.' She whispered.

'I love you too, Maria von Trapp,' He nuzzled a kiss onto her forehead. 'Now and forever.'

**END.**

* * *

**Author's Note: Goodness me, I can't believe that this fan fiction is finished! When I first started writing this fic at the beginning of this year I never thought that it would get the response it did, and I am SO grateful to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and favourited it! You all are honestly the only reason I write fan fiction and I promise that now this one is done I'm going to complete the others! I'm honestly so sad that this fic has reached its end because I've enjoyed every minute of writing every chapter for you all. I hope that you enjoyed this fan fiction and I hope that anyone who reads it in the future loves it too. I love you all so much and I would love it if, for the final ever time, you would review to let me know what you thought. I'll see you all super soon! x**


End file.
